Victor Venture: Transcendence
by Omega the Omniscient
Summary: [UNDERGOING RENOVATIONS]Victor's training career is off to a rough start. His brother is a brat, his starter is a wimp, and he's plagued by doubt. At this point he'll be happy if the first step of his journey isn't his last. Little does he know, others are taking their first steps as well, and their paths will cross in ways he'd never dreamed possible. T for language and violence.
1. Bad News

Possibilities. They flitted past the Eye like a swarm of butterflies riding the breeze, paths mingling and diverging erratically. There were minor deviations, but ultimately, they shared the same destination. They were invisible to most, and even those that could see often failed to recognize the order, the pattern behind them. Among those who saw the pattern, fewer still would dare to alter the path. The Hand and the Eye were among those select few, and they were bold enough to call their destination the ideal path, to call themselves Masters of Fate.

The Eye watched possibilities with the sort of passing interest that a man might spare a field of grass, except that a man would not likely pass judgment on each blade he saw. This was the nature of the Eye's gaze: at once it was focused and unfocused, looking at each possibility individually and every possibility as a whole. The field was vast, and each blade so small. One caught its focus, however, as it drifted gently toward certainty.

It was a potential outlier, a deviation, an irregularity. In short, it might be a possibility incompatible with the ideal path. Like weeds, outliers had to be plucked from the field before their roots sunk too deep. When such an outlier was discovered, the Hand was called upon to do the weeding. However, the consequences of removing even a single possibility had the potential to affect every possibility. The Hand's methods were crude; to pull a single blade from the field was to raze hundreds of others. The Hand might end up doing more harm than the weed ever could have. But there was no precise way to cleanse the field, to clear obstacles from the path. As a result, the Hand was called to interfere only when absolutely necessary. The field was practically infinite, and there was no shortage of weeds.

The Eye assessed the possibility and the futures it might hold. There were a few constants: loss of valuable resources, personnel casualties, damage to a major research facility, a shift in command that could prove favorable, and progress that might not otherwise be made. In the end the ideal path was still visible. The Hand would not be called to action.  
The weed already forgotten, the Eye turned its sight to another cluster of possibilities, flitting from one to the next in search of a true threat.

* * *

"Subject SR-0275, Dr. Preston presiding. Day three. Administering third dose of precipetine, five milliliters," said a stout man in white scrubs. He was careful to speak loud and clear so that the recording equipment would pick up his voice correctly. With one steady gloved hand he reached for his assistant. With the other he tugged at the restraints keeping the subject from injuring himself, ensuring that they were secure. The medical assistant, an outdated but dependable model, passed a syringe to the doctor with one of the wiry arms sprouting from its thin gray stalk of a body. Another arm held up a bright light, shining it on the back of the subject's shaved head, focused on a red welt where the spine met the skull. It glinted off of the syringe as the doctor made the injection. A gag ensured that the subject could not bite off his tongue or make too much noise.

"Expected activity detected throughout the limbic system," the doctor said, watching as a digital display set in one of his assistant's palms indicated the affected areas of the subject's brain with jumping red lines and changing numbers. "Administering second dose of valivitine, ten milliliters."

The assistant produced a second syringe, this one filled with a dark blue liquid, and handed it to the doctor. Steady hand, clean puncture, exactly where the other needle had been, down on the plunger, and out. It was a single smooth, practiced motion. The doctor and his assistant danced back and forth in a waltz of needles and chemicals to the steady beat of the heart monitor and the neural scanner.

"Towel." Doctor Preston was sweating visibly, his brow glimmering in the lamplight. He was excited. He was nervous. Two hundred and eighty-seven trials to replicate Tenne's treatment, and this subject had shown the most promise. If he'd rediscovered the process, he would be lauded for his achievement. The Masters' imprisoned enemies would become their army, and their waning hold on the battlefront would return to the crushing grip of its glory days. If he was wrong, though, he'd be back to pumping drugs into mice and running them through mazes for sure.

The next few seconds would decide his future.

"Administering first dose of sophrosyne."

* * *

Project Sophrosyne – Damage Assessment Page 130 of 137

…As such, we are forced to conclude that the solution synthesized by Dr. Preston's team did not match Prof. Tenne's solution. Archive recovery of any information on "sophrosyne" remains inconclusive. As discussed on page 58, the leading assumption is that Tenne's purge of the archives removed any trace of sophrosyne's composition. Research is ongoing. Significant portions of Dr. Preston's recording were lost due to damage sustained during subject's euthanization. In addition to damaged equipment, one portion of the recording seems to have been deliberately removed. Dr. Preston will be questioned as soon as he recovers. Until such time as Dr. Preston is lucid enough to provide answers, the missing segment will be investigated as an act of sabotage…

* * *

He finished reading the report and shut off his terminal. Sighing, he brought a pale, shaking hand to his face and removed his reading glasses. They tapped against his desk as he tried to set them down gently. The hand returned to his wrinkled face, rubbing at his tired eyes. He stared through his fingers, still looking at the blank screen, still pondering the report. Bad news. The only reports he received nowadays were bad news.

Restarting Project Sophrosyne from scratch was a fruitless effort, the cold fusion project had gone critical, and Project Lazarus was killing men faster than it could bring them back. He never read reports of good news anymore. And why not? _He_ wasn't doing anything wrong. It was his lousy subordinates who couldn't so much as tie their own shoes without him looking over their shoulders. The incompetence was simply astounding. If only he could replace them all, but there just weren't enough people with the expertise to do the jobs he needed done. They were working in new frontiers, after all.

Despite his best efforts, his division was failing. At this rate his position as head of research and development would be lost to someone deemed more _competent_. Ha! There was no one more competent than him to administrate research and development. It was the backbone of their organization, and no spine was useful without a brain. Without him, the entire research program would be crippled. It would stagnate and die without his guidance, and it would take the whole organization with it.

He had to prove his worth to the Masters. He needed to provide them with one successful project, some weapon against their enemies, or he would face demotion at best. He shuddered to think what punishment he might face at worst.

Pushing such thoughts aside, he stood. Project Transcendence had to be his success. It was his last chance to prove himself useful. With the Eye's guidance, he had designed a device that would allow his masters a means of extending the hand of their influence to lands yet unheard of. They had already conquered their enemies for the most part. The small rebel cells that still existed were no major threat with their leaders dead or captured. With their authority established, the masters wanted to expand into new territory. The director's device would give them the means to that end. He had been assured by the Eye that it was possible and the Masters had approved of the plan with great interest, even though a few remained skeptical. It was an uncertainty.

The device had required many rare materials and an immense power source, but they had acquired everything they needed. It took weeks to work out the blueprints and months to assemble the machine, but now it was ready for testing. However, a problem still remained with personnel.

Professor Soomwa had been called in as a project leader. Although his expertise was in the field of biochemistry, not even remotely relevant to Project Transcendence, he was an essential member of the team. He was well-liked by his subordinates and commanded respect, but he served a purpose more important than any other member of the team. He was there to deal with complications of a human nature. Tret Xu, the business tycoon whose company had supplied several necessary components of the device, interfered with the machine's construction. Xu had a vast amount of money invested in the project, and he was rather possessive. At first he had been unwilling to leave the assembly to anyone but his men. Soomwa was called in to make certain that the project progressed smoothly and uninterrupted by Xu's insistence on personal involvement. He had managed to work out an agreement with the businessman. Xu's men would not so much as touch the machine, but Xu would direct the workers alongside Soomwa.

Xu and Soomwa disliked each other. They had different ideas, different investments in the project, and employed different methods of leading. Their dislike grew to a loathsome hatred in their time together on the project. It had seemed putting them together on the project had been a major error, but the Eye knew better. The two kept at each other's throats, kept each other in check, and the project was completed ahead of schedule. Things were looking up for the director.

He left his personal quarters to inspect the lab where the testing was about to begin. The Project had been designated priority one status, so it was assigned to Lab One. Lab One looked like most other laboratories in the facility: It was a large, square, well-lit room with white walls and gray tile floor. Wiring and ductwork snaked across the high ceiling, tying it to the rest of the facility. There was nothing special about it. The only reason importance was ascribed to Lab One was its location nearest the Director's office. As such it didn't take him long to get there.

When he arrived he was disappointed, but not surprised by the sight that greeted him. Soomwa and Xu were arguing noisily, as expected. Soomwa wouldn't have stood out in the room if not for his crooked eyewear and the fact that he was the only one talking. He looked perfectly in place among his colleagues: white coat, circles under the eyes, strained expression.

Beside him, the source of his misery, Xu was a sore thumb in a gray pinstripe suit. He was decidedly less calm than Soomwa; his tie and cap were as red as his face. He didn't belong here. Everyone knew it, but Soomwa was the only one willing to make it an issue. Scientists and engineers stood or sat at their stations expressing varying degrees of disinterest. They had all grown accustomed to the constant bickering of their superiors. When the director walked in, their attitudes changed. Within seconds of his arrival they were all on their feet, standing at attention, with the exception of the two men spitting venom in each other's ears. The director waited impatiently for them to stop.

"-receive the majority of the credit for this accomplishment you idiot! I was most essential in directing the-" Soomwa was the luckier of the two. His mouth closed abruptly upon noticing the director standing at the door. Xu, his back to the entrance, took the silence as an invitation to speak.

"My money, my parts, my machine, my credit! You ain't as important as you imagine. Without me this whole thing don't amount to more than a flea on a donkey's behind! Why, without me you'd be rubbing sticks together to light up this secondhand candle! I-"

The director had had enough. "I assure you Mister Xu, your part in this is expendable. We would have managed without you had you refused our terms."

Xu's face went from beet red to ghostly pale. He turned to face the director with his best used-car-salesman smile and tipped his hat. "Of course sir. Excuse my momentary lapse in professionalism. Professor Soomwa and I were simply… negotiating as to which of us is to receive recognition for th-"

"You needn't worry about such a thing Mister Xu. I will be receiving any and all credit for this great accomplishment. You and the professor will be given honorable mentions in my report to the masters. Regardless, is it ready to be tested?"

As Xu's face fluctuated between reddened fury and humbled paleness, Soomwa stepped up to speak. Straightening his glasses, which had been bent in a recent scuffle with Xu, he addressed the project staff. "Everyone to your stations. The director would like a demonstration of the-"

A hasty cough from Xu earned a glare from Soomwa.

He continued. "The Soomwa-Xu Device."

As the technicians went to work warming up the machine, Xu and Soomwa began yet another argument.

"Now hold up one second here! We agreed _my_ name comes first. I have a fortune invested in this thing!"

"Yes, well, I decided to name it alphabetically. Besides, you may have the most money invested in Project Transcendence, but I have the most time and thought invested in it. Most of the work was my doing."

"Ha! Time and thought. Hogwash! We spent the same amount of time on it, and all that thought of yours is worthless without my money. Besides, Soomwa-Xu sounds like it's got a wazoo on the end. You want this here trans-doohickey's name to embarrass us? Xu-Soomwa Device I'll settle for. Hell, even Xumwa woulda' been better. Although, if it were up to me it'd be something catchy: the Xu Transporter. Now there's a name!"

"You pompous ingrate! My contribution-"

The director was losing patience with both the arguing, and the lengthy systems check routine the technicians were going through wasn't helping. Just as he was deciding which of his project heads to strangle first, a much needed interruption arrived. The director heard the door behind him open and beamed at his colleague. Finally, some order among the chaos.

"Ambassador! How good to see you. You've arrived just in time." The Ambassador had the sort of professional demeanor that Xu could only ever pretend to possess. He had no use for a cheap suit and a cheap smile. He was garbed in a flowing silky violet robe, and a matching turban adorned his head. His expression was sincere, no need to hide his contempt for the petty men before him. His position was clear, his status unquestionable. He was one of the few men that the director respected. "Project Transcendence is ready for testing. The-"

The Ambassador raised a hand to silence him and an eyebrow to question him. Both men frowned, one vexed and the other confused. No, not so much confused as uncertain. "_Testing_, Director Cinnamon? I was under the impression that it had already been tested. I hope you do not plan to have _me_ as your test subject."

"No, of course not. The masters do not expect such risk on your part, despite the Eye's assurances. We have arranged for a test subject to precede your journey. She should be arriving soon."

As if on cue, a gray medical assistant rolled in the door toting a gurney behind it. The machine turned to face the director and extended a stylus to him. "Release forms for prisoner 3765ML. Sign here." A screen flashed into existence in one of the machine's six palms and the director signed his name as requested. It's cylindrical body rotated on its treads and it headed back the way it had come. As it passed the gurney it turned to face the figure lying there. "Enjoy your freedom Miss Lan."

"Thanks a lot," the dark-haired woman muttered as the robot rolled away without hearing her.

Xu had stopped shouting at Soomwa once the gurney arrived, and now he was walking over to the metal table with a big grin on his face. His voice was overly cheerful. "Well shoot. Is that Mar? I thought you were dead." His smile faltered. "How long have we had her in custody?"

Soomwa stepped up to answer him. "Mar Lan has been in our custody for several months now. Unfortunately, she is not easily broken. She's been conditioned to resist my methods. Poor foresight on my part. Without Tenne's implants there's no way to make her cooperate." Turning to the director he asked, "Are you sure this is wise? I thought we were going to use a remote probe."

"Absolutley," said the director. "A probe would not possess the same mobility and range as a live scout. We need someone both capable and expendable to scout ahead for our dear ambassador. Exploring the unknown, I'm sure you realize, carries a substantial risk."

The woman glared up at Xu, who had visibly paled once more. "Traitor."

"As I recall, you are the traitor here," said the Ambassador. "We gave you power and you turned on us. I can see no one more fitting to assure my safe travel aside from perhaps Professor Tenne, but he still eludes us."

"Yes, well, enough chat," the director cut in. "The machine is ready, correct Miss Hart?"

"Yes sir," replied one of the technicians. Every station was occupied except Soomwa's nearest the machine. He took his seat and the machine was ready to activate.

"Begin when ready," ordered the director. The scientists did not hesitate as they confirmed that the machine was fully operational. Soomwa flipped the switch at his station and brought the machine to life. The director gestured for the Ambassador to be seated as the process began. Xu stood behind them, nervously glancing over his shoulder at Mar Lan. His worries retreated to the back of his mind as his full attention went to the machine.

Power flowed through the machine, supplying blood to its metal veins. It was a black metal sphere twice as tall as he was, sitting on a rounded base. As power surged through it, the sphere split down its middle, its two halves sliding into each other. The two halves rotated toward each other until one covered the other. In the middle of the machine was a brightness, a light that was every color at once and yet no discernible color at all. Every shade and hue blended in a flash of overwhelming color that spread out from the heart to the sphere's edge. Then it retreated and there was another flash of indescribable light to take its place followed by another and another in quick succession.

One technician collapsed at his station, but nobody noticed. It seemed they could watch forever without seeing the same thing twice. They sat, and stood, transfixed by the colorful orb set against the dark backdrop of the device that had created it. It was magnificent, but the director had to fight to remind himself that they were not doing this for a spectacular light show.

"We will now introduce our test subject to the anomaly generated by the device," the director informed the Ambassador. His voice was barely above a whisper. He was awestruck. He could not quite find his voice. "We will send a camera with her as well. We have taken precautions so that the electromagnetic field will not interfere with the electronics." He turned toward the technicians. "Miss Hart, retrieve the subject."

Ms. Hart was reluctant to peel away from her station next to Professor Soomwa. The beautiful ball of light had her thinking romantic thoughts, although she had been thinking them before the machine had activated. They had been right next to each other, so close they could have touched. Then the lights had illuminated the room. While she enjoyed the wonderful sight, she knew he must have been trying to detect what wavelengths of light were being emitted by it. If only he would take his mind off of his work for one second and see…

Unfortunately for Ms. Hart, the light show had kept all eyes off the prisoner. No one had noticed as she gradually loosened her restraints. Ms. Hart was still thinking thoughts of love when a fist interrupted her train of thought. This did not alert anyone, but when Mar whirled Xu around, landed a kick between his legs, a knee to his face, and sent him stumbling back into the director's chair, any chance at stealth was gone.

The director shouted, Xu landed with an undignified squeak, and every head in the room, with the exceptions of Hart and Xu, turned from the glowing orb to the surprisingly free test subject attacking them. Soomwa, having anticipated some complication with the subject, was equipped with a strong sedative in a hypodermic needle. He had to be quick. He knew what sort of damage Mar could do.

While Mar flung the Ambassador out of his chair with inhuman ease, Soomwa approached from behind. She swung the protesting Ambassador at him and Soomwa barely avoided stabbing him with the needle. Luckily for Soomwa, Mar appeared to be attacking without much of a plan, simply incapacitating the people closest to her. She thought he was down and out. Although pinned beneath the Ambassador's girth, Soomwa was still able to reach her as she headed for the control terminals.

She felt a stabbing pain in her leg, but ignored it. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than any of the other chemicals she'd endured over the years. She might not make it out of here alive, but she could at least sabotage whatever they were trying to do. She had never been more than a test subject to them. When she'd worked with them and even later when she'd worked against them. These people had ruined her life and it was time for her to return the favor.

The sedative had been injected, but it took longer than Soomwa had hoped to take effect. She was strong and he hadn't been able to inject the needle's full contents. She incapacitated three others and was moving toward a fourth when she started to slow down. She reached for the terrified scientist and missed. He passed out anyways. She slumped over at one of the stations. It was over. Soomwa sighed in relief.

"Mr. Keghun," Soomwa called into his earpiece as he tried to push the Ambassador off of him. "Report to Lab One. Mar Lan's made a mess of things."

She couldn't feel her legs, and the rest of her body was starting to go numb too. She wouldn't let them win so easily. She reached for a lever on the terminal with the last of her strength and pushed it as high as it would go.

* * *

In all of the confusion, the director had dashed from the laboratory and up to his personal quarters. He needed to contact the masters immediately. If he informed them of the delay before his colleagues could, he would receive the least blame. He reached for the phone that connected to the secure line and dialed the only number it could dial. Immediately, someone on the other end answered.

"Professor Cinnamon, what is so important that it cannot wait until our next briefing?" inquired a deep voice. "If this is about Soomwa and Xu, handle it on your own. Do you hear me, Cinnamon? Hello?"

The director was not listening. In fact, he had dropped the phone. He was staring, mouth agape, at the security terminal in his office. It had been showing the turmoil in the laboratory. Now it showed nothing but static. Somewhere between the two images had been a great flash of light that slowly engulfed the room until it reached the camera. A priority one message came through on his communicator. He did not answer it, but a gruff voice spoke into his ear without permission. "Sir, Lab One is… gone."


	2. Outset Interrupted

The world of Pokémon is vast, diverse, and teeming with life. There are hundreds known and perhaps thousands yet to be discovered. They exist in all corners of the globe. From the lush jungles and forests to the barren deserts. From the icy tundra to the darkest depths of the oceans and as high in the sky as air is breathable. Even in small towns and the alleyways of human cities, Pokémon are everywhere.

Most Pokémon can only be found living in their natural habitats in certain regions of the world. Within these regions are unique ecosystems inhabited by all types of Pokémon. The Yamasan region is a huge mountain range for the most part with a few beaches near the ocean and some flat grassy land by the shore. Beyond the southern shore is Ascension Path, a steep, rocky road up to the first settlement ever built in Yamasan, Premier Village. Beyond the village are some small settlements, but not many people live in Yamasan.

It is home to only those, Pokémon and humans, tough enough to survive its harsh conditions. Travelers from other regions must travel by boat, plane, or Pokémon to reach Yamasan or its small neighboring islands, but they rarely do. The region is full of treacherous terrain, unpredictable weather, and dangerous Pokémon.

Yamasan originally attracted Pokémon researchers hoping to find new species in the unexplored region. The researchers established Premier Village, and one scientist still lives and works there. Most left once they were convinced that no new Pokémon existed in this land. Hundreds of known species were catalogued, but nothing new was discovered. The professor who stayed behind thought that the deeper caves of the region needed further exploration, but the task was deemed too difficult and dangerous and the Pokémon Research Organization (PRO) cut funding to the Yamasan exploration in favor of research on legendaries.

Then, prospectors and treasure hunters were called to the region by a gold rush. The gold rush led to the creation of several boomtowns deeper in the region. The boomtowns became ghost towns for the most part once the Donyoku Corporation bought all the good mining land at high prices. Most of the population returned to their home regions with the money the corporation had paid them to live the rest of their lives like kings or blow every last penny gambling, but some stayed behind either determined to keep their land and earn their gold or simply wishing to live in a land they'd adapted to.

When the prospectors returned to their homelands they brought stories of the distant land, romanticized in a fashion that scientists rarely approve of: its hidden treasures, its dangerous terrain, and, most of all, its super strong Pokémon. These tales attracted thrill seekers and adventurers as well as trainers seeking new challenges and stronger Pokémon. Only the major adrenaline junkies ventured to surf and sail the massive waves that break on the rocky shores and scale the heights and depths of the perilous mountains and unexplored caves of Yamasan. Only the strongest trainers went in search of a real challenge in the high mountains of Yamasan and the dense jungles of its islands.

Some of these trainers, fifteen to be exact, came together and decided to establish a Pokémon League in Yamasan with Gyms, an Elite Four, and a Champion. Having defeated the Leagues of their home regions (Johto, Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and beyond) their credentials were in order and the League welcomed a new region to its ranks. The Donyoku Corporation protested for a while, but when the League proved that they were not using land purchased by the company and threatened to sue, Mr. Donyoku himself apologized for the inconvenience. He even showed up at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Elite Four Headquarters. He was seen smiling for the cameras and handing the oversized scissors to the Champion.

The Yamasan Elite Four served another purpose, because news about stronger Pokémon spread to people with less legal intentions than most trainers. Criminal organizations like Team Rocket wanted a piece of Yamasan too, and with their activity in the region came a need for government in the area. While Mr. Donyoku promised that the private security force he employed could keep the region safe, the League wanted more trustworthy and capable trainers on the job.

Since moving police into the region would take some time, and that time would not be decreased by Mr. Donyoku's objections, the most practical solution was to place powerful trainers in a position to enforce the law. They couldn't be everywhere at once, but at least they would be able to keep the towns with gyms safe from crime.

The events of Yamasan's history are important to the life of Victor Venture. The gold rush brought his parents to Yamasan and Premier Village where they now live. The Pokémon researcher, Professor Lime, would provide him with his first Pokémon. The Professor and the Elite trainers' fame would lead him to realize his goal. The mining would lead him to his first great adventure. The Donyoku family's presence and the call to tough trainers would introduce him to his first friends. The criminals and their plots would cause him to mature from his sheltered youth. This is where his story begins.

* * *

He wanted to leave, to flee. He had to get away before it was too late. He wanted to jump up and bolt out the door. He could imagine it, but he knew escape was impossible. He wasn't fast enough. None of them were. His sister might have been able to, but she was gone now. His brother, poor brother, still held on to a glimmer of hope. Poor, poor fool.

"I'm going for it," he whispered from across the table.

"It's suicide! You know you won't make it!"

"I'm going for it!" He jumped up, knocking his chair back. He ran down the hall knowing that at any moment his absence would be noticed. He hurdled over the Houndour sleeping on the floor. It hopped to its feet and pursued him barking madly. He slammed into the door. A smile of triumph spread across his face. He turned the knob and ran- straight into a Kadabra, or would have if it hadn't caught him in its psychic grip. The Houndour, hot in pursuit, slammed into him from behind. Kadabra could not grab the black canine; the dark type slipped through his mental grasp. The dog, the boy, and the Kadabra landed in a heap on the front porch.

The boy sobbed. He had been so close! Two shadows fell upon him. "So, thought you could get off that easily? Not a chance, Winn. Back inside." One of the shadows lifted him by the arms to his feet. They pushed him back inside. The fire hound growled while the Kadabra rubbed its head. The boy, defeated, trudged back to the table and sat next his brother.

Neither spoke. They sat and awaited the torture to come. It was inevitable. Resistance had been futile. One of the shadows took a seat at the table. The other carried cups to the brothers. It set each glass down with a thunk. The thick, red liquid within sloshed around. It was repulsive.

"Drink it," said the seated shadow as the other sat and poured three more glasses.

"No! Never!"

"Come on, Winn," said the first one.

"I won't either. That stuff's nasty."

"Set a better example for your brother, Victor!" Ordered the second one.

"It's hot! It's too hot!" complained Winn

"Tomato berry juice is good for you. Come on, Winn. Just one glass of- Victor! Don't do that!"

"What, mom? She likes it!" protested Victor as the Houndour guzzled the contents of his glass. Even the fire type's face turned red at the heat from the drink. It belched out a stream of flame that lit on the tablecloth. The two boys laughed while their father dashed for the fire extinguisher. Their mother turned to Kadabra, seated next to her, who was already cutting off the air fueling the flame with psychic barriers.

"Dang it, Victor! If you won't drink your juice will you at least finish your breakfast?" Pancakes and fruit sat untouched on his plate.

"I don't want to eat. I want to start my journey. I've wanted to for four years now and you promised!" His parents had not wanted any of their kids leaving home at first, but after his sister ran off on her own they realized they would lose him too if they didn't let him go. Better to know where he was going than to lose all contact with him, so they had promised to let him go when he was fourteen, the same age his sister had been.

After exchanging looks, his parents silently agreed. His father spoke. "You can go right after you finish your-" Victor shoveled the food into his mouth and gulped it down with the rest of his tomato juice. "Chores," finished his father, smiling.

Victor jumped up. "Oh come on Dad! You know you were-"

"Kidding, dear," his mother cut in. "Go meet with Professor Lime. We made arrangements last night for you to pick up your starter Pokémon today. Now don't forget to take plenty of supplies with you. You'll need your backpack and fresh clothes and your toothbrush and a tent and a sleeping bag and your-"

"Be safe out there, Vic. It's a dangerous world we live in. Keep your Pokémon with you at all times. Don't let 'em out of your sight. And don't forget to call us once in a while. You know how your mom is."

"Thanks dad." Victor smiled and hugged him.

His mother was still giving instructions. "-and you'll need your Pokégear and you can get Pokéballs from the Professor and-" he hugged her too.

"Thanks mom."

She stopped listing supplies and sighed. "Oh, we'll miss you sweety! Be careful."

"Why does Victor get to go and I don't?" Winn moaned. "It's not fair!"

His father bent his knees to meet Winn at eye level. "You can start in four years, just like your big brother," he told him, ruffling his hair. Winn stared angrily at his father.

"I wanna go now!" He shouted. His father frowned slightly.

"Mom, please, I've gotta go," Victor wheezed. His mother was stronger than she looked, and he couldn't wriggle out of her embrace. "The Professor is waiting."

"Oh, I'm sorry sweety. It's just, I'm just going to miss you so much," she sobbed and hugged him tighter. "Don't forget about us, okay?"

"Okay, mom! Just let me breath!" She released him and he gasped for air.

"I'm so sorry sweety! I don't know my own strength sometimes." She smiled apologetically. "Now go get your Pokémon and tell Professor Lime we said hi."

"Will do, Mom."

"Take me with!" Winn begged.

"You'll be going soon enough, Winn. Be good while I'm gone and don't forget to feed Pyra." Victor walked over to Kade and thought his goodbye to him. The Kadabra nodded in return. Finally, he patted Pyra on the head and walked out the door. Her tail wagged and she barked a goodbye.

As he walked, he looked back to see his family waving goodbye, except for Pyra who barked and jumped about his waving parents in circles, and his brother who sat moping on the porch steps. He gave one last wave and turned his attention forward. He was so excited; his mind was racing. His journey was about to begin.

It wasn't a very long walk to reach the lab, but when he got there no one was home. There was a hastily scribbledsign hanging on the door. It read, 'Exploring Dark Cave. Back in an hour,' in Sierra's handwriting. Sierra was the Professor's assistant. She helped him in his search for new Pokémon that no one knew existed. Victor wondered what they might find one day, or what he might find one day, in those darkest caves that only the bravest dared to explore. Maybe he would get to name a Pokémon some day.

He was losing himself in his thoughts. He returned his mind to the present. The Professor wasn't here, so he would have to go to the Professor. Dark Cave wasn't too far from the lab, so the Professor went there frequently to search it. He was always going deeper and deeper, but had yet to find anything other than Zubat, a few Paras, and Geodude.

He had a system of beacons set up throughout the parts of the cavern he had explored, and he used them to map out the cave and detect Pokémon activity. He had assured Victor that it did not hurt the Pokémon in the cave because it emitted a different frequency from the one Zubat use for echolocation. Victor had no idea what he was talking about at first. He had been nine or ten at the time. Now he understood the importance of not disturbing the Pokémon's natural habitat.

He arrived at Dark Cave to find Sierra and her Machoke standing outside holding a rope that the Professor was using inside for navigation. It wasn't really necessary since he had a 3D map of the cave on his Pokégear, but the Professor insisted that it was a mistake to put too much trust in technology. Besides that, there were sometimes steep descents in the cave that the Professor needed help with and if he were attacked by a wild Pokémon and knocked unconscious he would need some way to escape. Sierra had suggested that the Professor take a Pokémon with him for protection, but he said it would make noise and disturb the wild life. She had argued that he could keep it in a ball, but he was insistent. Thus, Sierra and her Machoke held the rope and gave slack as the Professor ordered over the Pokégear.

As Victor approached, Sierra noticed him coming. She waved and smiled. She knew why he was here. "Sorry we're keeping you waiting Victor. The Professor's sensors detected movement deep in the cave and he made investigating it his priority."

She spoke with a light Johto accent, which wasn't really different from most other accents unless you listened closely enough. Being able to recognize an accent was a useful skill in Yamasan, because most everyone came from somewhere else and starting a conversation was easy with, "So, you're from blank, huh? What's it like there?" It was impressive to many foreigners when you could tell them where they came from.

The Professor's voice came from Sierra's Pokégear, which was on a rock near her. "Is that you, Victor? So sorry. I'll be out shortly. I'm on the tail of what might be a new Pokémon!"

"Cool!" Victor excited by the possibility. It would be awesome to see an undiscovered Pokémon. Maybe the Professor would let him use it as his starter.

"Don't get your hopes up," whispered Sierra. "He's been tailing it for nearly an hour now through that labyrinth. Besides, he thinks it's new because its humanoid, but there are already humanoid Pokémon like Jynx and Hitmonchan that live in caves."

Her companion grunted.

"And of course, Machop and its evolutions."

Sierra was not as quiet as she thought, because the Professor still heard her. "Even so, such a find would be a new discovery in this cave at least. And I know it's new, because I checked the shape against my database and couldn't find a match."

"Your 3D imaging isn't exactly perfect. Maybe it misread-"

"What if it's a person?" asked Victor. Sierra stopped midway through her sentence. She thought about it for a second. Just as she was about to agree, the Professor's voice interrupted.

"Impossible! I have surveillance set up at every entrance to Dark Cave. If a person had come in I would have known about it sooner. No one ever goes in here but me. Well, aside from the occasional traveller, but no one's been in here since yesterday."

Sierra was back in the conversation. "But couldn't they have used a different entrance? You can't know them all."

"I set up surveillance at _all_ entry points around the mountain. If I could reach it and a man could fit through it's been marked. More importantly, the Pokémon appeared in the middle of my grid, which suggests that it either knows teleport or dig. No human can do either of those things; not even psychics can teleport without assistance. Shh!" His voice diminished to a whisper. "I hear footsteps. I'm close!"

The Professor went silent and his Pokégear picked up the sound of footsteps.

"We hear it too, Professor," whispered Sierra. He shushed her and fell silent himself. The steps were getting louder as they approached and they were joined by a heavy breathing. In and out it went, eerily accompanying the rhythm of footsteps. Both the breath and the steps continued to grow louder as they echoed off the cave walls and into the Pokégear.

Victor's tongue slipped. "Is that you breathing, Professor?" As soon as he said it he realized he shouldn't have spoken. The breathing and footsteps suddenly increased pace and volume.

The Professor added his own breathing and footsteps to the mix as he fled the other being. He spoke when he came to a ledge in the cave that he needed to ascend. "Sierra, pull." With Machoke helping it should have been the easiest thing in the world, but as Victor watched Sierra and her companion strained to lift the Professor. He explained why in a panicked tone. "It has me! I don't know if it's dragging me down or trying to climb up with me!"

"Victor, help!" cried Sierra. He had been stunned and hadn't thought to assist. He rushed to the rope and pulled. The Professor continued to speak.

"It's like nothing I've seen before! Two perfect black circles for eyes No eyelids or discernable nose. Just what looks like two tubes where the mouth should be. It's like a machine, perhaps a steel type. It's all white but for those black, empty eyes. Get me out of here, Sierra!"

"We're working on it!" she grunted. "That thing is heavy!"

"Yes, my foot is in excruciating pain, but it hasn't broken anything. Yet. We're almost to the top. I'm trying to kick it off, but it won't let go. It _must_ be a steel type."

"Professor, once you're up it should be easier to pull you. Are there any obstacles from your current position to here?"

Sierra's question didn't quite make sense in Victor's mind. Why did obstacles matter when some thing was attacking him? The Professor had a similar idea to Sierra's when he decided to use the rope, and answered immediately. "A few, but nothing that will more than scratch or bruise me. Of course, wandering Pokémon are an unknown factor, but-" He was cut off as he reached the ledge and a tug by Machoke knocked his Pokégear against the floor.

Sierra had no time to worry about that. She told Victor to get out of the way and ordered Machoke to run as fast as he could away from the cave. As he ran, Sierra explained to Victor. "Machoke is dragging the Professor out of the cave. It won't be very comfortable, but Machoke can run faster than the Professor could and he needs to get out of there now."

The rope seemed to go on forever. They stood there watching it race by as Machoke ran out of sight. An eternity passed in which Sierra and Victor waited anxiously for the Professor to emerge from the darkness, hopefully having lost his passenger in the process.

Victor was concerned, but he had never heard of anyone being killed, by Pokémon or otherwise. Certainly he was aware of the danger, but he had never witnessed anything. Sierra, on the other hand, had seen more than one amateur crushed in a cave-in by rocks and Geodude, and she new what the Pokémon in this region were capable of: Camps destroyed, people missing, mauled or killed, mines collapsed, and worse. If it weren't for her Machoke, she might not be alive today. No, she wouldn't be.

She had developed a fear of Pokémon when her parents had been killed. They had been the types who were always looking for the next great adventure. When they had Sierra, they had given up traveling for the "greatest adventure of all," raising their daughter. Then, when she was older, they heard from their friend Slate that he was in an unexplored region. He needed their help exploring the mountains and rivers and caves for Pokémon that the world had never seen. How could they pass it up? Sierra had agreed to go too. She had been ten and would have left on her own journey soon enough, so why not journey with her expert explorer parents in an uncharted area? It would be fun.

They arrived without much of a problem and met with the Professor at his laboratory. He was happy to see them and told them they could choose any room in the lab compound to stay in. The scientists who had shared the lab with Slate Lime had not bothered to remove the furniture from their old quarters, so there were plenty of beds to choose from. It was decided that the family would explore a new area each day and return to the lab each night. They went for months without problems and without finding any Pokémon of interest. The Professor suggested they head further from the laboratory in their search. They hadn't caught any Pokémon in the region yet, so they didn't think it was safe to take Sierra with them. They headed out one day without telling her.

They were unaware that she knew their intentions. She 'borrowed' one of the Professor's Pokémon and followed them all day. They traveled across rivers and through forests and up the mountain. Sierra had a hard time keeping up.

They stopped to camp for the night in a clearing. She slept in the bushes nearby. It was uncomfortable, and she was scared. She called out the Pokémon she had taken for protection. She didn't realize she had taken one that the Professor had only just caught. It came out angry and attacked her. She was knocked out. The young Geodude called for help and the Graveler and Golem that came to its rescue tore apart the camp in the clearing. They ignored the bushes.

Her parents woke to a rumbling sound. They ran from the tent just as it was crushed into the dirt. They weren't completely defenseless. They sent out the Pokémon they had with them, a Furret and a Sunflora brought from Johto. They were well trained and strong. They had beaten many opponents, the Elite Four members of every region but Unova, but they were no match for a colony of rock types. They put up a good fight. Dozens of Graveler and a few Golem were incapacitated. Furret fell first, closely followed by Sierra's father. Her mother was next. Even Sunny, with her type advantage, fell eventually. The camp was crushed into nothing but dirt and shreds of cloth.

As the living boulders started to leave, the Geodude hopped up and down by the bushes. It drew the attention of a few, but most were focused on returning their fallen family to the cave they had come from. They surrounded the bushes just as Sierra was coming to. She could see the rocks around her, and she was terrified. She also saw a familiar figure in the clearing, laying still.

Tears in her eyes, she screamed, "Mama!"

As luck would have it, a Machoke passing by mistook the cry for that of a Machop. He rushed to see the Graveler surrounding the bush. Enraged at the thought of these brutes ganging up on one of his kind, Machoke charged forward. He pummeled the Graveler into submission and punted the Geodude out of the clearing and deep into the forest. The Machoke was surprised to find the human in the bushes where he had expected to find a Machop.

When she saw the fighting type standing over her, she thought she was done for. The muscled beast had beaten the rocks and now it would eat her! It reached for her and she scrambled backwards out of the bush. She got up to run and fell almost immediately as she saw the remains of her family. She rushed to her parents and wept, no longer caring if the Machoke killed her. But instead, the Machoke reached down and scooped up huge handfuls of earth. Aside from wearing clothing (even if it was just a belt), the superpower Pokémon shared other traits with humans. Many fighting types buried their dead and performed other human rituals. Some thought of humans as relatives of the same type with underdeveloped muscles.

He laid the Sunflora and Furret gently in the grave. When he came to the adults, the girl resisted. She wouldn't accept that they were dead. Eventually she gave up and let him place them in the hole. As he buried them in the soil the girl stood, walked to him, and scooped up some dirt in her hands. They worked silently until the pile was reduced to flat earth and the hole filled.

Not knowing what else to do, Sierra searched the remains of the campsite and found scraps of the map her parents had. They had mapped out a path they had planned to travel. She managed to piece together enough of it to find a way back to the Professor. As she walked away, the Machoke followed. She didn't protest.

That day, Machoke did more than save her life. He saved her from hating all Pokémon. True, she had hated most Pokémon for a while and despised Geodude and its evolutions to this day, but if Machoke had not stayed to bury her parents she would have grown bitter toward Pokémon and eventually toward life in general. Her friend had brought her peace and had protected her ever since.

For this reason, she was very uneasy with Machoke no longer in sight and an unknown threat that might still be clinging to the Professor.

"Do you hear that?" Victor's question brought Sierra out of her memories. She didn't hear anything at first, but the sound grew louder. It was a shout echoing out of the cave mouth. It resonated loudly in the quiet space.

"At least we know he's alive now." Sierra picked up her Pokégear and dialed for Machoke. He carried a Pokégear strapped to his arm at Sierra's request so that she or the Professor could contact him if he was needed. He answered with a grunt. He didn't speak much, not that she would understand his words anyway. "Get ready to get back here. The Professor is almost out of-" The Professor shot by on the rope in a blur.

Machoke grunted an affirmative and the connection ended. Victor and Sierra ran after him as Machoke slid to a stop. He removed his power save belt so that he could run at his full strength. He could have removed it when he first started running, but it was dangerous to be at full strength for too long. He ran back the way he had come.

Inertia carried the Professor forward for quite some time. The wind stung his eyes and whipped through his hair. By the time he hit the ground he was past the cave and the rocky terrain there. He scraped dirt and grass, much softer than the previous alternative, but still painful. Not as painful as the clamp on his leg, though.

Victor and Sierra arrived in the middle of the action. The Professor was in the middle of a field. Luckily there weren't trees in this area or he might have hit one. Machoke had already reached the Professor and was battling a large white creature. It was taller than the gray Pokémon, and it was actually giving him a workout. Sierra had never seen him sweat before, not even the night he had saved her. Those Graveler had put up a fight, but they were nothing compared to this creature.

Machoke knew he was sweating, and it puzzled him. His strength was no longer limited by the belt. What was this Pokémon and how was it so strong? He couldn't focus very well because his mind was occupied with fighting his opponent.

He had arrived to find the Professor unconscious but otherwise unharmed. He must have passed out from the stress of his trip, or maybe it was the blow to the head. The white being was standing over him. It matched the description the Professor had given. It was tall and mostly white except for the black circles that were its eyes, the equally black tubes that led from where its mouth should be to a box on its chest, and symbols beneath the box.

Machoke had opened the battle with a leer attack, but the move seemed to backfire. Staring into those dark eyes left Machoke feeling… disturbed. Its audible breathing didn't help. His opponent did not drop his defense at all, and the white being was unperturbed by the menacing, muscular Machoke. It approached swiftly with a jab at Machoke's stomach. He took the blow with ease and responded with a karate chop to the midsection, which his opponent took without complaint. The next jab was at Machoke's face and it was stronger. He stumbled back a step. He realized it was gauging his strength. He attacked with a dynamic punch, but his opponent dodged with surprising ease. Granted, dynamic punch wasn't very accurate, but such a large foe shouldn't have been so fast. Especially an alleged steel type.

Sierra was clearly scared. Victor had never seen her like this before, and he didn't know of her bad history. He only knew she had discovered gold in the region. He had always seen her happy and confident, or at worst frustrated with the Professor. Now she was distraught. She was crying and practically crushing his hand in her grip. It occurred to him that he enjoyed her holding his hand, but he quickly dismissed the thought. She was good looking and she was a good person, but she was older than him, nineteen (older than his sister), and he knew it was just infatuation. He wasn't some pervert. Still… Besides that, this was not the time for such thoughts. She was distressed, and Machoke was losing.

She felt helpless. This was her best friend, who had saved her life, who had helped her through every trial since, and who she could do nothing to help. If a fighting type was being beaten senseless by this thing, what chance would a human have?

Machoke was on his hands and knees breathing heavily. He couldn't believe the ease with which this beast was beating him. It kicked him and he fell onto his back. He staggered to his feet. The being seemed to be awaiting his next move. He put the last of his strength into a cross chop. His arms slashed an X at his opponent. It stood there seemingly unaffected for a moment. Then a hissing sound came from the tubes. They had been cut by the attack. The beast's respiration became erratic. It grabbed at the tubes, trying to cover the holes.

It stumbled back, turned, and ran back into the cave, shoving past Victor and Sierra. Sierra had loosened her grip when the beast began its retreat, so they were not knocked to the ground when it hit them. They were merely shoved apart. A small part of the boy's mind was disappointed. A larger part was scared stiff by the monster running past him. Sierra was frightened as well, but she had other priorities. Almost as soon as they were separated Sierra rushed over to her fallen friend, ignoring the Professor. He was getting up anyway.

Sierra was crying by her fallen Machoke, the white beast was retreating into Dark Cave, and Victor was standing dumbfounded, his face red. This was not a sight Professor Lime had hoped to see. He rose to his feet slowly holding his head where the monster hit him. "Sierra, what happened?" She was no help. She sat there sobbing by her guardian. She had only ever shared part of their story with him. She said enough for him to know it had saved her life. If it was hurt, her distress was understandable. He would give her a moment. "Victor! What happened?"

Victor jumped. His mind must have been elsewhere. He seemed to refocus. "What? Oh! That thing attacked Machoke and then he beat it but he's really hurt, I think."

The Professor didn't think anything could be done. He ran a hand through his graying hair. "There's no way we can carry him back to the lab," he mumbled to himself, "much too heavy for me and two children. I didn't bring any potions. Why didn't I think of that? In too much of a hurry to find this damn monster. Heh. 'May you find what you are looking for!' Accursed-"

Victor suddenly remembered all of the items his mom had stocked him with. He threw his bag to the ground and tore it open. He searched it frantically. Please let one of them be- yes! "I have a revive!"

The Professor and Sierra turned to him. Sierra's tears subsided and Slate stopped mumbling to himself. Sierra was still too shocked to speak, so the Professor was first to respond.

"Why didn't you say so sooner, my boy? Bring it here, quickly!" Victor rushed over, the golden crystal in hand. Sierra snatched it up and held it up to Machoke. The strange crystal dissolved on contact with the Pokémon. Something in Pokémon's DNA, the same thing that allowed them to evolve in a flash of light and energy, interacted with the crystal allowing an energy transfer from the rock to Pokémon on the brink of death. It wasn't a max-revive, so Machoke wasn't at full strength. He was strong enough to get up, hug Sierra, and walk back to the lab for further treatment.

* * *

Back at the lab, things calmed down. The Professor was busy treating Machoke, so Sierra presented Victor with his choice of starter Pokémon.

"Well, that was a bit too much excitement for me," Sierra said as she brought out three Pokéballs. "I'm just glad everything ended well." She smiled. "Thanks for saving Machoke. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"I'm just glad my mom packed a revive for me." He felt proud that he'd saved a life.

He wanted to bring up their little moment. Part of him wanted to confirm it was just her looking for comfort in a time of need. Another part wanted her to say it was something more. Before he could gather the courage to ask, she spoke.

"I just hope I can get the Professor to stay away from Dark Cave for a while. He's not going to stay away forever, but maybe a few months if I'm lucky." She shuddered. "I don't want to see that thing again. It could be a pseudolegendary."

"It sure was strong." Victor sort of wanted to meet it again someday despite the fear it inspired in him. He didn't know it, but he would get his wish. And he would regret it.

"Anyway, let's see what the Professor has for you." She picked up the first Pokéball and released its occupant in a bright light. It formed a Whismur. "Aw! This one's cute. Probably not your type, huh?"

The little pink Pokémon was asleep on the lab floor. Air blew from its ears in a high-pitched snore.

"I don't have a problem with cute." He answered too quickly.

"Well let's see what else there is, shall we?" she suggested skeptically.

The second Pokémon made Sierra shriek. She quickly recovered, and returned it immediately. "Sorry, I just really hate Geodude. Moving along." She returned the Pokéball to the tray and selected the third.

Out came a screech and a purple figure that darted straight through Victor, making him feel cold and scared. He felt vulnerable and hollow. His soul was like a book that this thing was reading cover to cover. Somehow he knew that if it wanted to it could tear out the pages and burn them to ashes. He stood there shaking with the Pokémon hovering above his head.

Sierra was surprised. She pressed the return on the Pokéball, but the red beam missed as the ghost darted out of the way. It rushed into Sierra, but instead of passing through like it did to Victor it didn't come out of her back. Sierra's eyes turned yellow and her irises blood red. She pressed the release on the Pokéball and it broke apart. She grinned a sly grin and walked toward Victor.

"Such a sweet boy. Your fears are delicious. I look forward to more." A thought dawned on her, and her sly grin turned wicked. "See you later." She planted a kiss on his cheek and left the girl's body. Sierra slumped to the floor.

Victor stood there stunned. He was too terrified by the Misdreavus to do anything. He didn't know they could do that. He didn't know they could do anything that had just happened. Why did it want to do that? Ghosts were twisted Pokémon.

Sierra was returning to her feet. "What just-?"

"Nothing!" Shouted Victor. "I mean, the ghost used you to release it from the Pokéball."

"Damn. The Professor really needs to label these things. Not too big a loss. We have plenty of ghosts for study. So, I guess that leaves you two options," she said. "Sorry about that."

"I don't want that creepy thing anyway." He shuddered. "I know who I want," Victor said, recovered from his shock. He reached for the ball he had chosen.

* * *

Mr. Donyoku checked his company's stock. The prices were soaring. Gold was the ultimate investment. Everybody loved that shiny yellow rock. Any lesser man would have smiled to himself, but Mr. Donyoku did not. He never thought of how much money he had. He thought of how much money he could have. No happiness would be allowed to distract him from business. If it had happened before the marriage he wouldn't be where he was today. If it hadn't happened during the marriage he would be so much richer.

Pushing thoughts of the past aside, he dialed one of his business associates. They needed to talk about laying off a few thousand employees. Orre was a dying frontier. Just as his call was answered, a knock came on the door. Mr. Donyoku frowned. "Who is it?" he shouted.

"Well, you called me!" replied his associate, upset, "I expect you to know."

"No not you. Someone-"

"It's Takeshi, sir. Your head of security." Takeshi sounded a bit odd.

"What have I told you about interrupting me when I'm working?" Mr. Donyoku shouted.

"It's urgent, sir," he replied in a drowsy voice.

"Takeshi, have you been drinking on the job? I'm going to dock your pay for this nonsense. I warned you once, and I won't-"

The doors flew open. Takeshi was standing there, but his eyes looked odd and his face pale. He was accompanied by a portly man in a purple cloak and turban. Takeshi stood without moving as the man approached Mr. Donyoku's desk.

The portly man faced the head of security. "Takeshi, close the doors, please."

"Yes sir." He turned to the doors and pushed them shut.

"How did you get past my security? What are you doing here? What is the meaning of this?"

"You seem stressed. Relax, my friend." Something in his voice convinced Mr. Donyoku that he should do as he was told. "You see, doesn't it feel so much better to let all the cares in the world slip away? Why don't you put down that phone?"

"I have to go." Mr. Donyoku said.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Donyoku? Sir, why did you call?" The phone clicked.

"Good! Now, I have a business proposition for you. There's something in the mountains that I need, and you have just what I need to get it. I'm sure you'll be happy to help me."

"I will be happy to help you," Mr. Donyoku said in monotone.

"Excellent! Now then, let's get down to planning. How many men are at your disposal, hm?"

The doors burst open and a young girl marched in. Takeshi stood inattentively and took no action against her. The portly man frowned. Mr. Donyoku shook his head to clear it.

"Daddy! I've had enough of you ignoring me! You never give me anything I want! I just saw the Pokémon League on the TV and I'm going to run away and train Pokémon and I'll be richer and famouser than you!"

"Darling," he began, but was cut off by his guest.

"I have important business with your father. He doesn't have time for you, so run along." He spoke in a soothing voice as he had before. The girl was unaffected.

"I'm more important than your _stupid _business. If you don't get me another Ponyta I'm going to run away and you'll never see me again and I'll hate you forever!" For a child, she was quite intimidating.

Mr. Donyoku was out of his daze and about to respond when the man in the turban spoke. "Your father doesn't care for you. Run along now. Off into the wilderness with you."

The child was indignant. "Daddy!" She pouted and moaned.

There was a glaze to his eyes as he said, "Run along. Off with you."

She stood there a moment, eyes wide, mouth agape, not knowing what to do. She'd never had to follow through on anything before. "Fine!" She finally shouted. "And I'm taking Kit with me!" When she saw that her father was unfazed by this she got angrier and stormed out of the room.

Takeshi closed the doors once more and the other man faced Mr. Donyoku again. He smiled. "Now, where were we?"


	3. Golden Opportunity

Thunder boomed overhead. Dark clouds filled the sky. Lightning slashed an ion trail through the air. Heavy rain pelted the ground relentlessly, turning the dirt to mud. Pokémon hid safe in their dens, having sensed the coming storm long before it arrived. They lay quiet and still. Those with young ones comforted them. They were warm, dry, and content.

The human girl outside was not so happy. She was sloshing through the mud in shoes that were not meant for travel. Her hair had been tossed about and her clothes were in a similar state. Makeup that had not completely washed away stained her face. She was seething with anger; it radiated from her along with an energy of determination. If the rain had not kept them at bay, most Pokémon still would not want to attack her.

What was she doing out here? She could be sitting in her bed with Kit snuggled next to her watching the TV or shopping online or ordering the house staff around. Instead, she was slogging through the cold mud and rain toward what she hoped was civilization. Lightning struck a hill some meters behind her. She jumped and darted forward, slipping in the mud. She landed on her backside. Her tears blended with the rain as they ran down her face. Why was this so difficult? It had looked fun and simple before.

Thunder belched from the heavens and she scrambled for the trees. Thank Arceus she had found safety from the rain. She remembered one of the maids blathering something about a thunderstorm on the news once. She spouted some advice about lightning and safety. It was useless then, but now she thought she remembered some of it. The news report cut into one of her favorite shows, a documentary on Contests, so she started flipping channels looking for one without the Weather Bulletin. Most of them seemed to be focusing on some stupid bird in Johto, but she had finally found one without it. As she clicked the remote, the maid said something about, "Remember to…" "Legendary bird trio…" "…trees in a…" click "…return you to 'Teen Moms in the Contest Circuit.'" "…storm. Or else…" "Tiffany was like any other…" "…electrocuted."

Stupid maid. She should have known that info was going to be useful and spoken louder. Oh well. At least she got the gist of it. She ran for the trees and sat down when she was further into the wooded area. She rested her back against a tall tree that hardly let any rain through its leaves. She sighed and slammed her fist into the ground. Why did bad things always happen to her? She was cold, wet, and lonely and she had no way to fix that. Then she remembered that she did. The solution to all of her problems was in the palm of her hand. In all the recent excitement she had entirely forgotten about her pet.

"Come out, Kit!" She said, calling on her chosen companion. The Vulpix was not happy with being called out into the rain. She yipped in protest. "Oh, don't be such a baby! It can't get us here. The tree blocks the rain, see?" She pointed up to the leaves overhead. The Vulpix glanced up. Her gaze was greeted by a drop of water that had slipped through the leaves. The fox shook its head and pawed at its nose. The girl smirked at her pet in amusement. "Stupid."

The fox glared at her trainer. What was she thinking, dragging them out into the rain? The little brat probably wasn't thinking. She rarely did. The fox smirked, and another droplet landed on her nose. She shook her head. What were the chances?

"Start a fire, Kit! I'm cold and wet." She didn't seem to realize that Kit needed something to set fire to. The fox decided to improvise. She blew an ember into the girl's golden hair. She shrieked and ran out into the rain. She slipped again. This time she fell in a deep puddle of mud. She was covered in mud, but at least the fire was doused.

"You little monster! I should have made Daddy buy me an Eevee instead!" The Vulpix stuck out her tongue at the muddy human. She wished the girl had bought some other Pokémon from the poachers her father dealt with. She would rather be worn as a scarf than held by this spoiled brat. "Little-" the human muttered.

The girl slipped a few times getting to her feet, then trudged back to the trees. She lunged at the Vulpix. Kit leapt away, but was caught by the tails. _If only I could curse this girl like she deserves,_ the fox thought. As it was, she could do nothing. Nothing but breathe flames, that is. As she inhaled for another fire attack, the girl whirled the fox around. The flames hit a tree instead of the girl they were meant for.

Although it was raining, the lowermost leaves and branches were quite dry. The tree was ablaze in no time. She dropped the little fox and sat once more. The two sat there staring at the flames as the rain beat them back. "I guess that's one way to do it," the human huffed. How had it come to this?

* * *

She stormed out of her daddy's office. How dare he ignore her like that! She remembered when she was the center of his attention. She got whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. There had been a day when he would walk out of a meeting with his top investors to take her to Johto for Moo Moo Ice Cream fresh from the farm. Now she couldn't even get him to walk out on some fatty for a Pokémon. Threatening to run away had worked for a while, so now she would take the next step. Action. She had no choice.

It would be easy. She had watched hundreds of programs about trainers in other regions. They got out of school when they were ten (her father insisted on a half-wit tutor), they traveled to faraway places (far away from this rotten wasteland), and they _always_ made great friends on their ways to fame (her father had never let her socialize outside of the family). There was a lot of walking at first, but once she got a flying type everything would be a breeze. She needed to work off a few pounds anyhow. The best trainers stayed in hotels all around the world and signed autographs in the big cities. Of course some had to travel around to earn their fame, living out of tents in the woods. Those parts of the shows never lasted very long, though. How hard could it be?

She shoved past the door to her room, ordered a maid to bring her a bag, and started grabbing her favorite clothes and makeup. The maid was curious.

"What exactly is this for?" she queried quietly, fearful of the girl's fiery temper.

"I'm running away. I'll make a name for myself as a trainer or a coordinator or something. I'm going to be famous and rich…er. I'll be more famous than Daddy and then he'll _have_ to love me again and then he'll _have_ to come looking for me."

The maid didn't quite follow her logic, but she didn't have to. The child wanted to leave, which would leave her and her colleagues with one less ungrateful brat to deal with. She had worked for Mr. Donyoku before the marriage when the house was rarely, if ever, in chaos. When the children had not been born. From the moment that first diaper filled, the house had not seen a moment of rest. It occurred to her that it was cruel to let a child wander out into the wilderness where she would probably die. She had practically raised this girl from birth. She was like a daughter to her, right?

"Don't just stand there, idiot! Help me." The girl shouted, hands on her hips.

Wrong. "It would be my pleasure, Miss." She smiled as she stuffed the girl's bag full of her clothing. This was the happiest moment of her life. She realized the girl's father might be displeased that she assisted his daughter in running away. She could be fired. Then she realized she didn't care if she lost this job.

"Go get Kit's ball," ordered the child.

"Yes, Miss," the maid replied sweetly.

"And some food!" she shouted after her.

"Of course, Miss."

She grabbed her gold Pokétch, an import from Sinnoh, from the vanity by her king-size bed. She strapped it to her wrist as the maid returned with Kit's Pokéball, which was also golden and coated with tiny gems, and some nonperishable food for the girl and her Pokémon. The maid stashed the food away in the bag along with the clothes and was about to do the same with the ball.

"No!" The girl shrieked. "I want to carry that with me. Without Kit to protect me some psycho Pokémon could kill me! Do you want me to die?"

The maid muttered something under her breath. "…more and more every second."

The girl wasn't paying attention. She was busy sifting through a jewelry box she had pulled from one of the many drawers in the vanity. She tossed diamond earrings and silver bracelets aside in her search. When she spotted what she wanted she snatched it out of the assorted riches. It was simple in comparison to many of the other accessories, but it was worth more than all of them combined. Not only was it pure gold, but also it had belonged to her mother before her disappearance. She was too young when she left to remember what had happened, the staff was mum on the subject, and Daddy had removed her photos from the family album. The only things she had of her were the vague description given by her father and the necklace.

Her mom had been a trainer once, and the necklace was designed to hold her Pokéballs. It had been a gift from Daddy. Now she would wear it as her mom had before her. She shrunk Kit's Pokéball and placed it in one of six empty slots. She turned to the vanity and admired herself. The ball looked like a gem in the necklace. She made a silent vow to fill those slots as her mom had.

"Is everything packed?" She asked the maid.

The maid crammed the last of the vanity's contents into the bag. How she had managed to fit it all into such a small duffel bag, she would never know. She lifted the bag, not an easy feat, and nodded.

"Your clothing is in the main compartment. Tent and blanket are in the right pocket, makeup and jewelry in the left, and food in the front. You're ready to go, miss."

"Good. Follow me." The girl led the way from her room to the main hall to the front gate. The sky was blue and sun was warm on her face. This was the start of her journey. The guards at the gate stood with vacant expressions, much as Takeshi had in Daddy's study. Daddy needed to hire better guards. These ones didn't even try to stop her as she walked into the gatehouse and opened the gilded iron gates.

She smiled, looking to the horizon. The sun was shinning down from the clear blue sky. The land surrounding her home was green with grassy hills and open meadow. Further away she could see trees and beyond them were the snowcapped mountains. Somewhere in between, where forest and mountain met, she knew her first Gym was waiting. She breathed in the fresh air and sighed. She hadn't been outside of the gates of her home since her family had arrived in Yamasan nine years ago. It was a whole new world.

The serenity of the scenery was interrupted by a thud and the sound of the gates shutting. She turned to see the duffel bag on the ground and the maid leaving the gatehouse. As she walked toward the house, she turned and waved.

"Good luck!" she shouted. Then she walked back into the mansion and slammed the door behind her. Things were going to be much quieter around the Donyoku house for a while. Little did she know the Donyoku estate was under new management.

Meanwhile, a few feet from the gates of the estate, a young girl who had lived her entire life with servants doing everything that needed doing was struggling to lift a duffel bag that was about half her size. It was heavier than it looked. Finally, she managed to sling it onto her back and trudge down the hill that her home was built upon. Technically, she still hadn't left Donyoku property since her Daddy owned the house and most of the surrounding area within a mile radius. Regardless, she was stepping out of her father's shadow and leaving home for… where was she going? She stopped to check the map on her Pokétch.

She was heading southwest, it told her, toward the Yellow Woods and Boomtown. It was a small town that had been heavily populated before Daddy bought out the miners. Now it was home to a few stragglers who'd refused to sell and the staff of a Pokémon Center. She could sleep in the Center and then head to the nearest town with a gym. She didn't intend to use the tent more than she needed to.

She set off across the hills. She ran down the hill atop which her home sat. She felt the air rush past her as she let gravity carry her down. To some this is not an extraordinary experience, but to her it was new, fun, and most of all liberating. She was free to do whatever she liked. No guards or gates to restrict her, no maids or butlers to spew unwanted lectures and complaints, and no Daddy telling her to wait until after business. Her troubles flew off with the wind as she ran up and down the hills. The weight of the bag on her back was nothing in her state of bliss.

She ran with the curves of the hills until she crested the tallest and stopped. Before her was an expanse of vibrant color spreading from the hills to the forest. It was speckled with light blues and bright yellows and dark violets; White tulips and purple posies and crimson roses and dozens she couldn't name. This was the most amazing thing she's seen since her mother's garden. Her mom's flowers, maintained by the groundskeeper, stretched from the stables to the second pool. It was full of hybrids that the groundskeeper had once told her were created for her by her mom. Indigenous flora was altered to grow golden petals in honor of her name.

They were pretty, but they were unnatural and monotone. Every one of them was the same. Each one in this field was an individual. They were unique and multicolored and breathtaking. She'd never seen so many colors at once. She stepped into the mass of petals and stems in awe. She tried not to flatten them as best she could. The flowers swayed in the light breeze that blew across the meadow. It was surreal. She had seen the mountains and the trees from her house, but she had never been out and experienced the natural world before. She never could have imagined these beautiful flowers existed. What else was there just beyond her home that she didn't know about?

She decided to sit for a while to enjoy the flowers' aromas and admire their many colors. As she examined each flower, she saw something was amiss with one. While most of them had petals that sat atop a thin stalk planted in the ground, one lacked petals and appeared to be uprooted. She felt sorry for the poor flower. She reached for the yellow bulb where the petals should have been and jumped back when it writhed at her touch. The flower stood on its roots and turned toward the girl. She could see now that it had eyes on its bell-shaped head.

The Bellsprout shook its leaves angrily at her. She apologized as she backed away from it. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to help." The plant didn't care. It shouted its name furiously. Dark green acid shot from its mouth onto her shoes. She shrieked and kicked them off. The designer leather sizzled until it was no longer recognizable as anything but garbage. Thoughts of the beauty of her surroundings and the new world around her were shoved from her mind by the fury that replaced them.

"Those were my only running shoes!" She grabbed at her necklace and tore out the jeweled orb that held her Vulpix. "Ember now, Kit!" She tossed the ball and the little red fox emerged in a flash.

It looked about in confusion. This wasn't her master's room. She was in a field of flowers, but it wasn't the garden. She noticed a Bellsprout that looked upset, shouting something about how trying to capture it was a big mistake. Then she heard her _master_, little witch, shout her order. So, she had messed with the Bellsprout and now she expected Kit to clean up her mess. How typical of a human.

Kit wouldn't mind frying the grass type. It had been a while since she had fought anything. It seemed like years now since she'd been caught and bought for this little headache. On the bright side, the house staff kept her well fed. Although she hadn't had to hunt for food, she missed the chase and the freedom. This would be refreshing.

Still, the Bellsprout hadn't done anything to her. It didn't deserve the beating she could give it. Maybe she could reason with it.

She walked toward it slowly. "I'm sorry for whatever this idiot has done to you. I don't want to hurt you, so let's just forget this ever happened and we'll be on our way." She gave it a reassuring smile and awaited its response. It responded less than kindly.

The Bellsprout, a male, was not interested in peace talk. "Your human interrupted the first moment of rest I've had in weeks. I woke up with a Munchlax over me, I just got out of Koffing Cavern a minute ago, and I've been dodging Fearow all day. I'm not going to be captured now!"

The plant spat acid at her and she leapt out of the way. Just as well. A battle would be refreshing. She shot ember at the plant and it lit like a dry twig. The Bellsprout dove to the ground and rolled about madly. The flames subsided and it jumped to its 'feet' just in time to avoid another ember. The ember lit instead on one of the flowers, a daisy.

Ignorant of the burning flower, Kit and the Bellsprout fought on. Kit's trainer remained just as ignorant and continued shouting orders that Kit proceeded to ignore in favor of her own choices.

The girl was becoming frustrated. Kit wasn't understanding her commands. "Now tackle it," and "Use tail whip," somehow translated to ember each time. If she liked fire attacks so much, maybe Kit would listen to her next order. "Flamethrower, Kit!"

The little fox did not want to listen to her trainer, but it actually made sense to use flamethrower in this situation. The Bellsprout kept dodging ember, and flamethrower could be redirected after a dodging enemy unlike ember. Kit sprayed a stream of flames from her mouth at the now wide-eyed Bellsprout. It launched razor leaves at the fox, but to no avail. The leaves were incinerated immediately on contact with the fire. It dove into the flowers and the flames gave chase as Kit turned her head to follow.

The flames searched for their prey, consuming whatever else they came upon. The flowers of the field met their wrath. Petals blackened within their orange cocoons. Those flowers untouched by the flames were hit by the heat. It dried the leaves and stems, fading their brilliant hues to dull tans until the flames leapt to them from their neighbors and sent them to join their fallen brothers as ashes. Sections of the meadow burst into flames and were reduced to no more than smoldering darkness in the wake of the Bellsprout's retreat. Neither Kit nor her trainer noticed the path of destruction they were carving. They were focused entirely on defeating their acid-spitting foe.

Finally, the Bellsprout fell from the field of flowers into the open grass between what remained of the meadow and the trees of the forest. As soon as he fell he felt the heat on his back as the flamethrower passed over him. He turned to lie on his back so that he looked up into the face of his attacker. As the fox and its girl emerged from the burning flowers, he found himself stricken with paralyzing fear. He could not move, literally, to save his life. As the fox smiled and the girl opened her mouth to issue the command, his savior appeared.

While Kit walked through the flaming flowers unhindered thanks to her ability, flash fire, her trainer trailed behind. She had to wait for the blazing flowers to subside to ashes before she could tread upon them. Fortunately for her, the flowers did not burn for long before they were nothing but dust. She arrived at the spot where the Bellsprout lay prone at about the same moment as Kit. It turned to face them. The look of fear on its face went unrecognized by the girl. Just as she was about to give Kit the order to roast it, a tug turned her around.

The man who had turned her was not familiar, but he wore the uniform of her father's security men: night-black pants, belt, and shirt with a golden sun in the grasp of a gray fist on the upper left breast of the shirt. The color of the fist signified rank, though she had never taken interest in memorizing each title. All she needed to know was that this man was low on the food chain. He had no right to interrupt her in her first battle.

"You shouldn't be here. This is private property." As he spoke he reached for a Pokéball on his belt. "Return your Vulpix, hand over your trainer card, and come with me. Mr. Donyoku doesn't appreciate vandals any more than he does trespassers."

"You idiot!" She shouted. "I live here. I'm your boss's daughter! I can have you fired if you put your hands on me again!"

The guard was not convinced. "Can I see some identification?" He was a new employee assigned to watch the outer perimeter of the Donyoku Estate's property. He hadn't even seen his boss in person, let alone set foot in the mansion. There was no chance of him recognizing her. Even if her Daddy had allowed photos of his family to be publicized (he hadn't since the marriage) she would hardly resemble the pictures. They'd been taken when she was younger, plus she now had a thin coat of ash lining her face, clothes, and hair.

"I don't have any ID." She had never needed one before.

"Uh huh. Come with me." He grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me! Daddy will fire you for this!"

"Look, if you are who you say you are, we go back, this gets sorted out, and you have nothing to worry about. You don't wanna go, which tells me you have something to hide. Which-" He trailed off. He'd noticed a glint from the necklace beneath the soot that had gathered on it. "Where did you get that?"

"It's mine. From my mom." This guard was becoming a real pain. He was going to drag her back to Daddy and he would ground her. Then she would never have a chance to prove herself worthy of his respect. She had to stop him.

"Right." This was serious. Some trainer had snuck onto the property, pilfered a necklace, and torched the front garden. No doubt there was more loot in the duffel bag she was carrying. "What else have you taken?" He reached for his radio to report to Takeshi.

She saw him go for the radio and knew she had to act fast. "Kit, quick attack!"

The fox darted forward. She hit him in the chest and knocked him off his feet. When he hit the ground, his grip on the walkie-talkie loosened. It landed an arm's reach away. As the guard regained his composure, she dashed forward and stepped on it, only to be painfully reminded of the loss of her shoes. She kicked it, which did not improve her condition. As the guard stood, she issued another command.

"Kit, smash this thing." However, Kit preferred to burn it, and so she did. The outcome was the same. The radio was ruined.

"That's it punk. I'm gonna teach you a lesson." The guard, now standing, pulled a Pokéball from his belt. "Go, Sandshrew."

The yellow Pokémon appeared in front of its trainer ready for battle. Kit was not intimidated, despite being at a disadvantage. Her trainer wasn't worried because she didn't know she was at a disadvantage.

As the battle began and the human's and their Pokémon were distracted, Bellsprout slunk off into the forest. This had been an especially bad day out of a pretty bad lifetime. He would take any lucky break he could get. Maybe this was a sign that his luck was changing.

The guard gave the first command. "Use slash, Sandshrew!" The shrew leapt at its opponent, claws at the ready.

"Flamethrower!" Kit was quick to respond. She had been preparing the attack before her master's order, and now she unleashed it on her charging opponent. Sandshrew wasn't very affected by the fire attack. He charged straight through the flames to their source. He burst through the flames and swept a clawed hand at Kit's head, barely missing. He slashed downward and caught her left forelimb as she leapt to the right.

"Sand attack, Sandshrew!" Sandshrew kicked up dirt, not the most effective substitute for sand, but it did the job. Kit was hit in the eyes, and as she blinked and pawed at her eyes Sandshrew had an opening for attack.

"Another flamethrower, now Kit!" The girl didn't realize her Pokémon had been blinded, and wouldn't have cared had she known. "Don't just stand there. Come on!"

"Rollout, Sandshrew." The guard was confident now. This kid didn't have a chance. How she'd gotten past the perimeter defenses, he didn't know. She obviously hadn't been a trainer very long, relying on the same move and ignoring your Pokémon's pain were hardly the traits and tactics of a pro. As he thought this, Sandshrew was speeding toward his target, who had just cleared her eyes.

Kit blinked one last time before her vision returned to her. Immediately she wished she hadn't. The first thing she saw was a yellow ball of pain rushing straight at her. She turned to evade it, but he was too close. The attack hit her in the side and knocked her to the ground. As Sandshrew came around for another pass, Kit's trainer shouted at her with very little effect.

"Get up you stupid fox! He's going to crush you! Do something, anything. One last flamethrower." Kit tried to rise, but there wasn't enough strength in her legs. She slumped back to the ground as Sandshrew returned, rolling full speed at her.

"Hold it!" The guard shouted. Sandshrew veered to the side and uncurled to stand within range of Kit in case she could still do anything. The guard approached the girl and her fallen Pokémon. He wasn't a cruel man. He had no desire to see this Vulpix beaten bloody just because of a stubborn trainer. "Return your Pokémon and come with me."

The girl was indignant. "You can't do this! Daddy will have you fired, or better yet scrubbing toilets!"

"I don't care who you claim to be, kid. You're coming with me." He grabbed her Pokéball from her hand and recalled Kit.

"That's mine!" she shrieked. She grabbed at it, but the guard held it above his head out of her reach.

"Not anymore, it isn't. You don't have what it takes to be a trainer. Besides, this ball is clearly stolen from the house. You'll give up whatever you have in that bag, too."

"This is all mine!"

"Suuuure it is."

The two continued arguing this way all the way back to the mansion. As they went, the sky grew darker. As they trudged through the flowers, white clouds blew in from the mountains, smothering the sunlight. They darkened from white to gray to black as the guard and his ward marched up and down the hills between the flowers and the enormous mansion. Buy the time they reached the gates, there was thunder rumbling above them and a light drizzle was falling upon them.

The guard stepped up to the gate and pushed a call button. It buzzed and he stepped back. Nothing happened. The guard repeated the process, this time staring impatiently at the security camera mounted just inside the gate.

The rain was falling in larger drops. They fall faster and harder on the two humans, soaking their clothes almost instantly. The guard returned Sandshrew to his ball. The third time the guard pressed the button, he shouted into the little box it was a part of.

"Roger, it's Marvin! I've got a trespasser out here and its pouring rain. Open up!"

There was a brief pause after he released the button. A static buzzing filled the air. Voices could be heard over the buzzing. It was hardly a whisper and the words were unclear, but they were definitely voices.

"Come on Roger. Quit messing around in there and open the gate." Every second he wasted turning in the girl, he was leaving a gap in the perimeter's security. It might seem pointless to keep guards patrolling the outskirts of a fenced in property with state-of-the-art security and twenty-four hour surveillance. It had seemed so to Marvin at first. Mr. Donyoku was a bit paranoid. Who wouldn't be if they controlled the most profitable business in the region, and knew of the many criminal organizations that existed and were always looking for easy funding? This had been explained to Marvin, but he hadn't realized the value of his job until he caught someone who had somehow bypassed all other security measures.

Finally, audible words emitted from the box. "No one gets in. No one gets out. No one gets in. No one gets out." The phrase was repeated three more times before Marvin cut it off by pressing the button.

"What's wrong with you, Roger? You know me. Open the gate and let us in, already!"

"No one gets in. No one gets out."

"This is some kind of joke. Well, it's not funny. Who put you up to it? It was Karola, wasn't it. Look, I don't know what he's doing for you, but I'll give you twenty bucks if you just let us in."

"No one gets in. No one-"

"Open up!"

Seeing that the guard was distracted, the girl snuck around behind his back to his right side to be next to the hand that held her Pokéball. Just as he shouted into the box she snatched it. He turned to look, but she was already on his left, yanking on her bag. Now the guard expected her actions, and fought back. With both hands he pulled the bag up and away from her, but she held on pulling in the opposite direction. They held on to their prize with all of their strength and determination until the tug-of-war ended abruptly. The bag ripped open at the zipper, sending all of the girl's possessions into the mud. Clothing was ruined and jewelry was lost.

She cursed and released her grip on the bag. It was useless now. She turned and ran back toward the hills and flowers.

With the girl no longer resisting his pull, the guard slipped on the now muddy ground and fell on his back with a _sploosh_. He groaned, knowing he would have to give chase. This kid was more of a pain than he could have imagined. He should demand a raise, if he was ever let into the house.

She ran over the hills once more, but now she didn't feel that joyous sense of freedom. She was wet, tired, and afraid. Fortunately, tired and afraid seemed to cancel each other out and she ran a fair speed across the hills to the field of flowers. This didn't help with wetness, and neither did falling in the mud a few times.

When she reached the flowers, she ignored them entirely. They were beneath her, while her fears resided above and behind her with the storm and the guard respectively. She darted for the forest, where her memories caught up to her present condition.

* * *

The rain slowly but surely doused the fire Kit had started. The leaves dry enough to light burned themselves out, and the rain kept the flames from spreading. The orange glow faded and the tree was left apparently unscathed, leaves as vividly green as before. Upon closer inspection it could be noted that obscured by the green outer leaves were branches burned bare and blackened. Deeper thought might bring to mind some elegant metaphor of the emptiness within even the most beautiful people.

Her thoughts were neither of the damage done to the tree nor of any symbolism it might hold. Her thoughts were of the loss of light and heat, no matter how little it had supplied. Cold and darkness were not her friends.

This shouldn't be happening, not to her. She hadn't seen any of this on the TV. If those famous trainers hadn't needed to go through this, why should she? She was Aurum Donyoku, teen billionaire, future Pokémon master, and daughter of the reclusive yet famous gold baron known only as Mr. Donyoku. How had they averted such unfortunate circumstances when she, with her inherent wealth and fame, had not? It wasn't fair.

Now she would have to rely on the flicker of lightning. It wasn't enough to illuminate the forest for more than a second or so. It was dark beneath the trees. Even her Pokétch didn't provide enough light to see beyond her hands. Travel was not an option in the pitch black.

A flash of lightning briefly lit up the forest, outlining a dark figure at the trees' edge. Her eyes widened, and she crept around the tree she sat at to put it between her and the man she knew had followed her. She grabbed Kit by the tail and pulled her with. This proved to be a mistake. Kit yelped at the tug. Cursing her Pokémon's foolishness, she returned Kit to her ball and hoped the man hadn't heard. Her hopes were dashed as another bolt of lightning silhouetted the guard standing in front of her.

"Why won't you just leave me alone!" she shouted.

"I won't let your crime go unpunished. I swear I will track you from here to Kanto if I have to. Don't make this any harder for either of us than it has to be."

"You've already got my bag. What's the point?"

"You'll come back for more if I don't bring you in now. Besides, you still have the necklace and the Pokémon that you stole. Hand them over."

She felt defeated. Her legs ached, her eyelids drooped, her thoughts felt sluggish. There was nothing she could do with all of her aspiration to stop this misguided guard from taking the only possessions she had left. Kit wasn't going to fight for her and she couldn't outrun the man. Without Daddy's influence she couldn't do anything. All she could do was unlatch the necklace and hand it over.

Yet there was still some glint of hope, or maybe it was just stubbornness, that told her to hold on. These were hers: Her necklace, her Pokémon, her life. She didn't need Daddy to do this for her. The whole point of her running away was to prove she didn't need him for anything. She would do anything to prove that. She would even fight the security man if she had to, and even if she failed she would know she hadn't given up.

Where did that come from?

There wasn't much time to consider her sudden confidence. She acted without further thought. She stood and looked the guard in the eyes and said, "No."

He sighed. "Look kid, if you wanna do this the hard way, I'd hate to see what Sandshrew will do to your Vulpix. It's not worth-"

She punched his face as hard as she could. He blinked in shock before clearing his head. If his face hurt nearly as much as her hand did, the pain was worth it. The man took a moment to compose himself, stifling swears and death threats as they popped into his head. Then he raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm not gonna beat up a little girl."

She moved to strike again, but he caught her fist and held it in front of his face.

"You asked for it, kid."

She saw his face in the light from her Pokétch. It was twisted with anger. His furrowed brow, narrowed eyes, flaring nostrils, and toothy frown were all eerily accented by the faint red light. He was an intimidating sight. She might have cried if she weren't so determined not to show weakness. She didn't so much as wince.

He released her hand and shoved her to the ground. As he grabbed a zip tie from his belt, a bright flash lit up the trees. It didn't fade away. It wasn't lightning.

Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she could see a yellow Pokémon with what looked like a red gem on its forehead. The Pokémon, Ampharos, was accompanied by a taller figure, obscured by the light. He stepped into view. The white light outlined his dark blue shirt and jeans. Jet black hair appeared haloed by the flash. At that moment, it would not have been out of place had he sprouted wings. His voice was a deep boom like the thunder above.

"Let's assess the situation here. Guy in dark uniform throws defenseless girl to the ground. I'm not liking this picture. Maybe if you just run along and let her go, I'll forget your misdeed."

"I'm not the criminal here," the guard protested. "She's trespassing on Donyoku property, and stolen-"

"If you _don't _run along," he interrupted, "you'll have to answer for your wrong doing. Your choice."

"You aren't listening. She's a criminal!" The guard was bewildered by this boy's sudden interference.

"_You _aren't listening. And I think you've made your choice. Amp?" He gestured and his Pokémon stepped toward the guard.

The guard shook his head. "You're making a big mistake, kid." He pulled a ball from his belt. Sandshrew emerged once more, barely injured from his battle with Kit. "Mr. Donyoku does not 'forget misdeeds' as easily as you do. Neither do I."

The boy did not spend any more time on idle chat. "Amp, let's start with a fire punch." The Ampharos nodded and charged forward, fists blazing.

"Sand tomb, Sandshrew." Sand, mud, and rain swirled around the little shrew, sucked into the vortex. As the Light Pokémon charged toward its target, it was consumed by the whirling sand. The two Pokémon were lost in the sand for a moment in which the light from Ampharos' flash was lost. The three humans waited in silent anticipation. Two were determined to see justice done as they waited anxiously for the sand tomb to dissipate. One was now more overwhelmed than determined. Her life had certainly become more eventful since her decision to become a trainer.

Sandshrew was the first to exit the sand tomb thanks to a well-placed fire punch by Amp. It made its mark with a burn. Soon after, Amp broke through the funnel of sand and with him returned the light. It ceased spinning and it was as if it had never been there.

"Rollout, Sandshrew," the guard shouted. Sandshrew curled up and rolled in the mud, at first unable to move forward. When he finally freed himself from the mud, he lurched toward the Ampharos with immense momentum. Amp knocked him aside with another fire punch. The shrew struggled to redirect himself, but ultimately failed. He hit a tree and was knocked out.

"That's your only Pokémon, right?" Ampharos returned to the boy's side. The battle was clearly over. "Now leave the girl alone."

The guard knelt in the mud next to his Pokémon before returning him to his ball. "You'll pay for this." Without a second glance, the guard stood and ran off in the direction of the mansion.

With the threat dispatched, the trainer turned his attention to the girl on the ground. He extended his hand and she took it gladly. Once she was on her feet, he stared into her eyes, concentrating. His dark green gaze was piercing.

"You didn't steal anything, did you?"

"No," she said with confidence. She may have taken them without permission, but they had been her things and Kit was bought for her. She had done nothing wrong.

He smiled. "I know the truth when I hear it. The name's Reginald Vistas, and you would be?"

She hesitated. She'd never really liked her name. 'Aurum' was a failed attempt by her Daddy to express his affection for her via reference to his favorite metal. It had always sounded ugly to her. Maybe now would be the best time for a fresh start. A new name for her new life. She wouldn't want to draw attention from anyone before she earned her own fame.

"My name is… Marigold," she said, remembering her mom's name, "Marigold Aurelian."

Reginald's brow rose marginally in skepticism, but he only said, "If you say so. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He shook the hand he had lifted her by. "So then, why was that man attacking you?"

She didn't want to lie completely, and she didn't have to. "He said I was trespassing on Donyoku property. Plus I… kind of ruined a garden in a battle with a Bellsprout."

"And he thought you stole your Pokémon from this Donyoku?"

"He thought I stole my Vulpix and my bag. When I ran I lost everything in the mud."

"Well, it would be illogical of me to rescue you from that thug only to abandon you in this forest without food and shelter. I am obliged to accompany you to the nearest town where you can resupply and rest. Until we reach," he glanced at the map on his Pokétch, "Boomtown, I have enough food for the both of us. That is of course, if you are comfortable with traveling with me."

"Sure." She didn't know Reginald, but it was safer to go with him than to starve in the woods, right? Of course, the safest option was to give up and head home, but she couldn't do that now. Not with all she had already done and committed to. She may not have done much, but it was the most she had done independently in her life.

Besides, she wouldn't be very safe heading the same way as her new enemy. Even without his Sandshrew that guard could hurt her. If he did try to follow her, Reginald could protect her. And he was cute. This was the best choice. "Yeah. That sounds good."

"So, what brings you to this part of Yamasan?" Reginald inquired as they started walking.

"I've lived here for most of my life. I just recently decided I want to have an adventure. Challenge some gyms, work my way up to the Elites."

"Well, it seems you're off to an interesting start in your adventure."

"What about you? You're too strong to just be beginning."

"I've been a trainer for a few years now, and I decided my team needed a new challenge. Yamasan has been a fair test of our skill so far. If you caught that Vulpix you mentioned here, you should have an advantage over some foreign trainers. All of the wild Pokémon I've faced have been fierce opponents."

As they spoke, Reginald grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and withdrew Amp. The light from flash disappeared, but it wasn't noticeable. The sun shone overhead. The clouds had passed and the storm was over. The only remnants of it were the drops caught in the tree leaves, a few small puddles, and thunder behind them.

"Kit doesn't listen very well," she said. She glanced up at the drops of water shimmering on the leaves above. They danced in the sunlight. Once more, she was amazed by something she had never bothered to notice before.

"Well, Mari, perhaps some training will do her some good once we reach our destination. If she still won't obey, then earning gym badges should make her respect you more."

"I don't know if I'll be able to battle you."

"I'll go easy on you."

The two trainers walked beneath green trees, blue sky, and warm sun toward Boomtown. There was a cheerful atmosphere and Aurum, now Marigold, was feeling optimistic. The weather was good, their destination wasn't far, and she had made a friend. Things had taken a turn for the best.

* * *

Meanwhile, with the clouds still pouring buckets of rain upon him, Marvin trudged through the mud up and over the final hill between him and the mansion. The rain was colder than before and the wind lashed icy tendrils at his face and hands. He was still fuming and it wouldn't have been surprising if the rain turned to steam upon contact with him. However, it did not evaporate. It only soaked through his already wet clothing to chill his skin. He shivered as he reached the gates. He reached a shaking hand out to the call button.

"Rog-g-ger. Op-p-p-pen up-p-p. I'm f-f-freezing out here."

Once more the monotone voice of the gatekeeper buzzed through the gray box. "No one gets in. No one gets out."

Marvin lost it. He pounded on the intercom until he felt his anger ebb away. "F-f-f-fu… y-y-you!" With his anger went his strength. He collapsed. He grasped the gold-coated iron gates with what little strength he could muster. He was sure he would succumb to hypothermia. As he fell into unconsciousness, he saw a large figure garbed in purple approach the gateway. He heard him mutter something as darkness consumed his vision.

"Missed one…"


	4. Adapting

**Standard Disclaimer: only the human characters are mine (with the exception of those that aren't mine, of course). Pokémon aren't mine. Isn't mine? Either way.**

He remembered the orb at the machine's heart growing, enveloping the lab in its bizarre light. When it reached him he felt its warmth upon him. Then that warmth turned to a searing heat. He tried to pull back, but there was nowhere to pull back to. It had engulfed him. The light danced around him as he writhed in agony. He closed his eyes, but the light was either imprinted in his retinas or shining through his eyelids. There was no escape. He was forced to endure the pain.

Then the lights faded from his vision, taking the pain with them. He opened his eyes to catch a brief glimpse of the scientists and the machine and the lab before they rushed out of view as though pushed away by some unseen force. Then there was darkness. He tried to move but he couldn't feel anything. He waved his limbs frantically, but made no contact with the ground that should be beneath him.

Light suddenly appeared, blinding him for a moment. When his eyes adjusted he was happy to see the familiar shine of daylight and not the shifting colors of the machine. He noticed shapes moving past him, which he realized were trees. Of course! The laboratory hadn't been flung away from him; he had been tossed from it. Why he hadn't fallen yet, he didn't know. Soomwa would probably say something in a condescending tone about inertia, but what about gravity? Friction?

He actually passed _through_ a few trees and began to wonder if he would ever stop. Soon after, the trees seemed to slow in their passing. He no longer merely saw the sunlight, but also felt it on his skin. It was an especially welcome feeling after the inferno of the other light, which had miraculously left him unscathed. His feet scraped the ground and his concerns over stopping surfaced again. His worries ended when he met his first tangible tree. With a **thunk** and an, "oomph," he came to a halt.

Tret Xu rose to his feet slowly. His head ached from the blow he'd received at the hands, or rather knee, of Mar Lan and the fresh hit to the tree. He was thankful that the pain in his lower extremities had faded, but the memory of his recent misfortune kept his temper fueled. Soomwa had really messed up this time. No doubt, it was his fault that Mar had managed to free herself and attack them.

He reached down to pick up his hat. It had seen its share of disaster, as had he. This was nothing in comparison. They would pull through; they always had before. Once it was dusted off and returned to his head, he took in his surroundings. Nothing but leafy trees and grass existed as far as the eye could see the way he had come from. It wasn't a thick forest, but he had no idea how far he had gone. The trees had been nothing but blurs at first and even if he traversed the forest in good time, the machine that could take him home would still be out of reach. It had been somewhere dark, underground or in a cave? If he walked back he might starve, and he hadn't seen any wildlife or other potential sustenance on the flight to his current location to convince him otherwise.

Upon turning around he found a much more promising sight. There was a dirt clearing in which a log cabin, not much bigger than the shed next to it, was situated. It wasn't different from the construction found on good old Earth. The wooden buildings and the dry soil stood out in stark contrast to the vivid greenery that surrounded it. The curtains were closed on the two windows on either side of the door. There didn't seem to be any lights on inside and no smoke rose from the chimney. Like any good businessman, he knew to take an opportunity when it presented itself. If no one was home perhaps he could find some rations for his journey.

The locked door was no real obstacle. A short burst from his pistol was all it took to melt through the feeble lock. Energy weapons were more versatile than old bullets and gunpowder. He could bust a lock with a sustained beam like a welding torch that dissipated an inch after leaving the barrel. Then, with a minor adjustment he could shoot through ten men in body armor and the plasma would still retain lethality. Of course, the latter would waste more power (the weapon only had enough charge for two such shots at the moment) and would be pointless overkill in this situation.

Enhanced technology like that was just another advantage provided by his alliance with the 'masters.' People like Mar Lan refused to see the advantages of working with them. They dwelled on silly concepts of 'morality' and 'honor'. The first and foremost concern was survival, and then came the other perks: wealth, power, and perhaps a little fame. The fame was most appealing of all. The victors of wars wrote history, as he well knew. Tret Xu would make certain that his name lived on with the names of the founders of the Masters' Organization, even if they thought he was inferior.

Sure, he'd had to humble himself a few times. It was to be expected when working with people who called themselves masters. Humiliation was a small price to pay for survival. Those who had refused to claim what the Masters were doing was 'right' or wouldn't grovel on occasion were now locked away in a prison or dead, with the recent exception of Mar Lan.

He shivered as he kicked open the door to the cabin. It was all a single room. Two beds were to his right against the wall. Across the room, a red brick fireplace was built. A large pot of some sort and other cooking utensils sat nearby. In the center of the cabin was a table set with two grimy plates, two empty glasses and two sets of tarnished silverware. A wooden chair accompanied each plate by the table.

While his eyes scanned the room, his mind pondered Lan and the threat she posed. Sure, she couldn't bring the MO down on her own, especially not if she had been dragged along with Xu and the others. His more pressing concern, however, was that if she had been brought with them she might be somewhere nearby. Perhaps she was, at this moment, watching him from the tree line, just waiting for the opportunity to pounce and exact revenge on him for his treachery.

As he cast a nervous glance out the door at the trees, he could not help but think that he deserved what was coming to him. He had, after all, condemned all who had trusted him to save himself. But no, that was exactly the type of thinking that would land him a spot at a public execution. Nobody fought the Masters and won. Not for long, anyway. His choice had been made, to live with success and fame and-

Wealth! The moral struggle raging in his mind, fueled by guilt and fear of retribution, was swept aside by greedy thoughts. In his scan of the room he caught a yellow glint from a burlap sack in a corner by the fireplace. He had seen such a glint before, when he had overseen the work at the Mining Corporation he'd once owned. He crossed the room, his anticipation fed by his absolute certainty of what the sack must contain. He returned his gun to its holster and with both hands he jerked open the bag.

Gleaming chunks of gold tumbled from the sack. Xu removed his hat, holding it over his heart with his right hand. The bag was full of gold, and pure gold for the most part. Only a few impurities were visible. There must've been a lode somewhere nearby. The MO was always looking for more funding. If he ever made it back home, the Masters would be very pleased with his discovery of valuable mineral resources in the area.

So distracted was Xu by his amazing discovery that he did not hear the hushed whispers at the door or the footsteps approaching him. In fact, he did not realize anything was amiss until the familiar click of a safety disengaging announced a presence behind him. He felt the cool metal on the back of his neck and knew someone was prepared to blow his head off.

"We don't 'preciate trespassers on our property, do we Zane?" A deep voice asked. He could tell from its proximity it was clearly the voice of the one holding the gun.

"Naw, that's why we done put that sign up on the trail leadin' up here." A higher, but distinctly male, voice responded. It came from the doorway.

"And why don't we 'preciate no trespassin'?" The first voice inquired.

"Them trainers wanted to steal that gold what we rightf'ly dug up!" The other replied enthusiastically.

Xu was in a tight spot now. Perhaps he could negotiate his way out of this. Unfortunately, he didn't have much to bargain with. His money would be useless to these people, and the Masters would kill him if he gave any of his weapons to a couple of hillbillies. On the other hand, if he died they might take the weapons anyway. It would only serve the Masters' best interests for him to survive this encounter.

Before he could open negotiations, the deep-voiced simpleton spoke. "Turn 'round an' show your thievin' face, trainer!"

Xu turned about slowly, not wanting to startle the man with the gun. His eyes met the twin barrels of a shotgun as he finished his one-eighty turn. At the other end of the gun was a half white, half golden scowl. The scowl, and the gun, belonged to a red-necked, short, fat man in blue overalls. He'd certainly made use of his gold. At the door was the one he called Zane. He was tall and skinny in contrast to his counterpart, but just as red in the face and neck. He, too, wore overalls. The two also had in common untidy brown hair, poorly trimmed goatees, beady brown eyes, and an odor that should have given them away as soon as they'd stepped through the door.

Xu opened his mouth again in an attempt at communication, but the tall one cut him off. "Hey, Thane! This guy don't look like no trainer I ever seen. Looks like one o' them busy-ness lawyer types from the city. Ain't got nothin' on 'im but a little gun there. He don't even got a pokém'ball!"

"Sure he does, idjot," Thane shouted over his shoulder, never taking those beady eyes off of his captive. "Look on his belt there. He's got plenty o' Pokéballs. You just can't see 'em 'cause you're all the way over there. Now come and take his gun."

With a downcast look on his face, Zane plodded over to Xu's side and fumbled with the holster until the gun was in his hands and pointed at Xu's head. It wasn't on, and Xu had no intention of telling him how to activate the power cell. One lethal weapon pointed at his face was more than enough.

Thane had been thinking, not a common spectacle, and from Zane's words arose a possibility which made too much sense not to be the truth. "You're one of Donyoku's guys, aren't you?" He said with absolute certainty. "You're one o' them tough guy suits he sends tryin' to scare us into givin' up our land an' gold. Well, we'll tell you what we told the rest of 'em. Our gran'pappy died minin' this gold, an' he told us afore he died to not to ever give that no good money mongerin' Donyoku a penny's worth o' gold."

" 'Cause it ain't about the money!" Zane chimed in.

"No it ain't!" Thane agreed. "It's about the pride and the dedication and the hard work and the knowin' you're doin' what's right!"

"An' tell 'im what's right!" Zane punched the air in his enthusiasm. Thank Heaven he wasn't the one with the loaded gun.

"What's right is carryin' on the legacy of our gold diggin' gran'pappy, an' keepin' his gold safe from thieves! So you can go back to your boss an' tell 'im we ain't never gonna give up our land as long as we live to dig, and longer!" His golden teeth glimmered as his scowl shifted into a smirk. "Or are you gonna be like them other suits an' try fightin' us for the rights to the land?"

"I'll bet he is!" Zane shouted. "Them suits never pass up a chance to challenge the deed. Last time it was a whole troop o' them black shirts with 'im, an' we still beat 'em."

Thane's breath was worse than his body odor. He breathed heavily in Xu's face as he spoke. "So, what do you say, suit? You gonna battle us for our land."

Xu was about to ask what type of fight they expected him to put up when they had all the guns, when Zane started shushing the two. Thane listened expectantly, irritated until he heard what his brother had heard.

"Shoot! Throw 'im in the shed!" Thane shouted, shoving Xu toward his brother. He kept the shotgun trained on him as Zane quickly led the way to the shed. As they walked, Xu noticed a tombstone near the shed. He wondered if it belonged to their 'gran'pappy' or to one of the 'trainers' or 'suits' they'd mentioned. Once they were inside the shed, Zane grabbed some rope by the door and bound Xu's hands and feet. By the time he was finished, Thane was already out the door. Zane quickly followed without taking the time to double check his work.

As he sat in the dark shed, Xu finally heard what had gotten the two so excited. The familiar sound of an approaching vehicle, the revving of a motorcycle, got louder until it finally stopped nearby. The engine cut off and voices filled the silence it left in its wake.

"Officer, we wasn't expectin' you this afternoon. We already ate, and we don't got no leftovers to share," Thane greeted the new arrival.

"You should've been expecting me for your monthly parole inspection," replied an authoritative female voice, "And you know I don't want your food. You also should know we received another complaint about you scaring some kid and his friend half to death."

"They was trespassin,' Officer," replied Zane. "It's our right to protect our land."

"Protecting your land does not require you to threaten to 'shoot a twelve year old's Pidgey, gut it, and roast its entrails.'"

"Them's just words, Officer," Thane protested.

"Words that can earn you up to ten years in a League detention facility. We take threats against trainers and their Pokémon seriously. I've been lenient as it is. The next time you threaten a trainer I will put you in a cell and 'lose' the key for a few weeks. And that's IF I'm in a good mood."

Xu grew bored with the conversation. He turned his attention to getting out of this predicament. That idiot Zane hadn't bothered to tie his ropes very tightly, and his gun was propped up next to the door. He hadn't even gagged him. He could be calling for the parole officer's help, but he wouldn't call for help. He had a different idea.

* * *

The sun was close to the horizon, saying farewell to the pink and orange sky. Soon it would be behind the mountains, and Victor would be left in the dark. This was not how he planned it. He was supposed to have reached Boomtown by now, so he could rest at the Pokémon Center for the night and head to the first gym in the morning.

Unfortunately, things had not gone according to plan. The shortest path to Boomtown was through Dark Cave, and Victor had no intentions of risking an encounter with that thing. He dismissed his earlier desire to challenge it again as a thoughtless impulse. Let it stay undisturbed deep in some unexplored corner of the cave. His other choice was a dirt road that had seen little to no use in recent years judging from the weeds and grass growing in healthy patches along the way.

Pokémon sure loved jumping out of high grass and shrubs to attack him mindlessly. There was no reason but to annoy him. Well, maybe he started the fights occasionally, but it was usually just an accident. How was he supposed to know where a Rattata was sleeping? Regardless, encounters with wild Pokémon had led to drawn out battles that put him behind schedule. The Pokémon in the area weren't strong enough to beat his new partner, but they had managed to survive long enough to slow them down.

Now, he was pitching a tent along the side of the road flanked by bushes and trees, a faint bit of sky in the distance. No one used this road since the path through Dark Cave had been improved. Boulders had been cleared, bridges were built over water, stronger Pokémon could be found there, and the Professor's message about the threat there wouldn't be received at Boomtown's police outpost until tomorrow, so its reputation as an overall better path to travel still stood.

On the bright side it meant he probably wouldn't need to deal with other trainers, but it also meant that there would be no one else around. No one to hear, say, a cry for help if a wild Pokémon defeated his friend and attacked him. He hadn't thought much about it until then, looking at his flimsy tarp of a tent. What was to stop any Pokémon from tearing it, and him, apart in the middle of the night?

If he had made it to Boomtown he wouldn't be having these thoughts. He would be checking into one of the free rooms he was told the Pokémon Centers offered to trainers. He could be jumping onto a soft bed to bury himself beneath warm blankets. Instead, he was trying to remember the advice his dad had given him about camping and hoping it wouldn't rain.

He could call his dad and ask, but that would make his parents worry which would only make him worry more. No sense in that. He would just have to stay calm and remember what he'd been told. He sat and thought for a while in the false security of his tent. He didn't remember much. He did remember something about keeping food away from the tent. It was supposed to be sealed in a container and hung from a high tree branch. His backpack contained things. That made it a container, right?

He decided it would be best to repurpose one of the many escape ropes his mom had packed to hang his backpack a safe distance from his tent. How did she fit everything into a single backpack? When he had asked her, she just winked and said experienced trainers managed to figure out how certain items fit best after a bit of trial and error. He tied the rope around his bag a few times before throwing it at the tree branch overhead. At this point, he realized that the bag was quite heavy and while he could carry it easily enough on his back, he could not muster the strength to toss it so high.

At first his solution seemed doomed to fail. There were only two reasons he even considered it. One: he was driven by fear of merciless, hungry, woodland creatures. Two: he liked climbing trees. He had always enjoyed pulling himself up to the tallest branches of the trees around his house to wave down at his jealous brother, stare across the sea of tree tops, look down at the ocean only a _very _long drop and a beach away, and gaze at the mountains in the distance. Now there wouldn't be a Kadabra to catch him if the wind was too strong or if a branch broke or if he simply lost his balance, so he wouldn't go too high. Only as high as he needed to be.

Slinging the bag across his back once more, he scaled the tree he had chosen. Correction, he tried to scale the tree he had chosen. The bag was just to heavy for him to pull it up with him. New plan, climb up with the rope first, then pull it up to a high branch. This time it actually worked. Once he reached a branch he deemed sturdy enough, Victor started the slow process of pulling up the bag that he was beginning to think might be filled with bricks as a joke by his dad or Winn. Amazingly, he managed to haul it up to where he sat.

He took a moment to catch his breath. He had climbed a bit higher than he needed to. Oh well. At least it meant good exercise and a good view. Of course, he would be getting plenty of those as a traveling trainer. He took in another deep breath. That had been more tiring than the entire trek from his house to his current camp.

Thinking about his adventure so far got him thinking about Dark Cave. More specifically, he was thinking about the creature that had come from Dark Cave. It had run off into the cave, but would it go as deep as it had come from? Was it still near the entrance, just waiting for the Professor's inevitable return? He shivered at the thought of the Professor returning against Sierra's wishes. He was an educated man. He wouldn't make such a mistake. On the other hand, he had been more stubborn than reasonable more times than Victor was comfortable trying to count.

The idea of the Professor returning to the cave was enough to convince him he needed to call Sierra, just to be sure. The Pokégear rang five times, each ring another second for his mind to consider what horrible things might happen if the Professor went back to that monster's den. Finally, he heard her voice.

"Hello, this is Sierra."

At this point he was frantic, and his worries spewed from his mouth like water from a burst dam. "Don''llgeteatenorsomething!"

"I'm not here right now, so leave a message at the beep!" her cheerful voice replied.

"Oh." Well, at least he hadn't made a fool of himself.

"And if this is Victor worrying, don't. I've got the Professor on bed rest until we're sure he doesn't have a concussion, and even then Machoke will keep an eye on him." Machoke grunted in the background. "Don't worry about us. Have an adventure!"

The machine beeped. He sat there for a second before clearing his throat and muttering, "never mind…" He sighed. Why was he worrying so much? Of course Sierra had things under control. That's what she was there for. And even if that monster with the soulless black eyes attacked them, Machoke had beaten it before and he could beat it again. He smiled. He had worried for nothing.

As he calmed, a chill wind brushed past. It felt different from the breeze he felt on a regular basis, yet it seemed… familiar. He shivered, although it wasn't from the wind. He didn't know why, but that made him feel strange. He couldn't quite describe it. He was uncomfortable. No, nervous. Afraid?

A laugh echoed in the trees around him. Victor jumped and looked nervously for the source. This only delighted his tormentor more, and the laugh rose in pitch. It wasn't a cheerful giggle. It might sound happy to someone paying little attention, as it did to Victor at first. But as he listened from his perch, he felt more than heard a certain malevolence underlying the otherwise harmless giggling. It was mocking him.

A horrible screech behind him startled him so much that he pitched forward off of his branch. The air below him was not nearly as reliable a perch as the sturdy wooden branch. He found himself plummeting toward the ground below, cursing himself for his mistakes and his misfortune. If he had been faster, he could have been reached Boomtown. If he had been stronger, he could have thrown his pack up to the branch. If he had been more careful, the ground wouldn't be so far away. If he had been braver, he would not have leapt to his death because of some stupid noise.

The ground rushed up at him. He closed his eyes; he couldn't bear to watch, not that it would do him any good. He would have closed his ears if he could. He didn't want the last sound he heard to be that awful giggling. An eerily familiar cool breeze washed over him, and suddenly he was no longer falling. He didn't feel the air rushing past, and he definitely didn't feel the ground. He didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes, but it didn't do him any good. He remained sightless. Or maybe black was the only sight to see. Was this the afterlife? It was silent as well. At least the giggling was gone.

Then, he felt as if he was rising. There was nothing to feel on the outside, but inside he felt his stomach churn. It was like riding an elevator, except the jerk in his guts felt less like they were being tugged at and more like they were being wrenched out. The darkness faded into the familiar greens and browns of the forest. The pain subsided. He rose shakily to his feet. After a few deep, calming breaths he sighed in relief. He was alive.

His heart rate jumped back up to a million beats a minute when his unnaturally heavy backpack thumped to the ground behind him. He shrieked like his sister did when she saw a bug. The giggling returned. Now he knew who, or rather what, was mocking him. He couldn't believe it was still taunting him. As if to confirm his suspicions, the Misdreavus floated up from the ground still cackling.

Victor's eyes narrowed. "What do you want with me?" He shouted angrily. The ghost's response was to glide up to him, peck his cheek, and dart through his body, much to his displeasure and thus her delight. Still giggling, she disappeared into the bushes. Victor was left wiping his cheek off in disgust with a cold feeling in his chest. It was official. Before they were just weird. Now, he hated ghosts.

Still rubbing his cheek, Victor picked up his pack again. He stood there contemplating if it would be worth the trouble to lug the bag back into the tree, straining his arms in the process. As he made his decision, a rustling in the bushes got him sweating once more. Why wouldn't that thing leave him alone!

"Go away!"

The bushes responded by growling, a low-pitched, intimidating rumble. That wasn't the incessant giggling he'd become accustomed to in recent minutes. As he backed slowly away from the bushes, the bushes shook more violently. A pair of white eyes was visible, glaring at him with evil intentions.

As the bush monster advanced, an orange glow lit the night. The bush was engulfed in flames. A shriek joined the growling noise. Was this some sort of grass and fire type? Whatever it was, it was about to make him a meal, he was sure of it. Adding his own scream to the cacophony, Victor turned and sprinted back to his camp where his Pokémon was waiting patiently. He could shout for its help, but it wouldn't hear. Somewhere in the swirling thoughts of his terrified mind, it occurred to him that he didn't know its gender. He didn't have much time to contemplate this as the thought was swept away in his confusion. The only solid thought in his mind was _run_. Once he reached camp he could figure out what to do.

He hazarded a glance over his shoulder to find the flaming beast hot on his tail and gaining. Not good. He turned his attention back to where he was going just in time to duck beneath a low branch. Grinning like an idiot, he silently congratulated himself for his quick reflexes. Then, of course, he tripped over a tree root. Trying to regain his balance he flailed his arms to no avail. He fell flat on his face, cursing his feet and his fortune.

The growling grew louder as his assailant caught up to him. He squeezed his eyes shut. The growling cut off abruptly to be replaced with a yelping noise. Puzzled, Victor opened his eyes only to have his vision blocked by the ground. Four paws landed on his back, shoving his face into the dirt, only to lose their purchase moments later. The burning bush crashed to the ground in front of him rolling around as harmless as a splashing Magikarp.

Victor's confusion was interrupted by another pair of feet spring boarding off of his back. He was beginning to think he should just give up and lie there, until he recognized the voice of his latest irritation. His head jerked up and his eyes darted to the source. Sure enough, rolling around next to the remains of the bush, trying to force words through his fits of laughter, was his little brother, Winn.

"What are you doing here?" Victor grumbled as he got to his feet and brushed himself off.

"You should've seen, hahaha, the look, ha, on your," Winn took a deep breath, trying and failing to control himself. His held breath burst into more laughter.

"Shut up! How did you get here?" Victor was not too worried about his brother's attack on his dignity. That could wait until later. What he was really concerned with was whether their parents knew where Winn was.

"I followed you." He said matter-of-factly.

"Did you tell mom and dad you were coming with me?"

Winn stared at him as if he'd just asked the stupidest question in the world. "No," he said in the tone their mother used when explaining a particularly difficult lesson to them for home school. "Then they'd never let me go."

"Winn! Don't you remember what happened when Vicky ran away?" Victor's mind was racing again.

A blank stare and a shake of the head were punctuated by a, "Nope."

Of course, he was only six at the time, but Victor expected his brother to remember something of the traumatic event. "You don't remember _anything_? Mom cried for a month."

"Well, I do remember some crying, but after that everything was fine."

Victor had to stop himself from screaming at his brother. He had to remind himself that Winn didn't understand these things. He had probably forgotten or blocked out most of the bad times after their older sister ran off on her big adventure. Good for him. That didn't excuse him from running away, and it wouldn't make it any easier for mom and dad, especially mom, to deal with not knowing where their youngest child was.

"Nothing's been fine since Vicky left," Victor managed to say calmly.

"Sure it has." Winn's blank stare went unchanged.

"I don't expect you to understand," Victor sighed. "You were too young."

"Whatever." Victor flipped open his Pokégear. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm calling home." His finger was over hovering over "home" when his brother leapt at him. The Pokégear flew from his hand as he and his brother rolled around on the ground. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm not going back home!" Winn whined. Pyra, having untangled herself from the bush's remains, happily joined the fray. The addition of teeth, claws, and flames discouraged the brothers from further fighting.

They lay there in peace, Pyra chasing her tail, until their mother's voice caught the trio's attention. "Hello?" While Pyra searched for the source of her master's voice, the two boys dove for the phone. Victor's longer limbs won out. He snatched it up and stood before Winn was half way there.

Winn stretched his arms in a vain attempt to reach the Pokégear in his taller sibling's hand. "Mom! Winn followed me and sicced Pyra on me! What should-"

"We figured as much," a different voice sighed through the phone.

"Dad?"

"We thought he might have gone after you."

"Oh. Well, should I bring him home?" It would put him further behind schedule, but he couldn't let his mom wait and worry about her last son.

"No."

"What?" Did they plan on sending Kade to get him?

"Your mother and I have talked it over, and we've decided it's best to let him… go with you."

Victor was about to object, but his father cut him off. "If we bring him back here, he'll just keep running off until we can't track him down again. We can't keep him locked in the house for four years. It's for the best. Can you look after him? We know it's a big responsibility, but you can handle it."

Victor weighed the pros and cons. Cons: his brother was a brat. He would whine about sleeping outdoors and walking too much, waste food and other supplies, and be an overall pain to travel with. Pros: …a diversion while he ran from hungry monsters? No, he had to do this for his parents' sakes. Might as well look on the bright side. He would be a human companion on his journey for however long it took to get him to stay at home. He would be a familiar face in strange places. Most importantly, it would make mom and dad feel a bit more secure.

"Sure, dad." He couldn't hide the reluctance in his voice. "No problem."

"Yeah!" Winn started dancing around his brother, celebrating his victory.

"I knew we could count on you, Vic."

The silence that followed allowed reality to sink in. It was not a reality Victor liked. He would be traveling with Winn. Whiny, wimpy Winn. Son of a-

"Anything else you wanted to talk about? How are you doing so far?" His dad didn't want the conversation to end on a low note apparently. He would probably be disappointed.

"Great," Victor lied, grabbing Winn by the arm mid-spin and dragging him toward camp. Pyra followed close behind.

"Do you have that first badge yet?"

"I'm not in Boomtown yet, so that will have to wait. I set up the tent. It looks kinda lopsided, but I think I did it right."

"How's your first solo camping trip?" His father's voice was a mix of pride, amusement, and just a hint of worry. "The trees aren't giving you any trouble, are they son?"

"The trees aren't a problem yet." At least that wasn't a lie. After all, the only greenery that had attacked so far had turned out to be a clumsy Houndour, and his fall hadn't really been the tree's fault.

"Anything else giving you trouble?" He said. It wasn't a question of whether there were problems. It was an invitation to share.

He wanted to vent, to tell his dad about his problems, but he didn't want to tell his dad everything that had happened so far. He was comfortable with telling his dad what troubled him normally, but notso comfortable with alerting him to near-death experiences. The really weird stuff, he would rather keep to himself for the sake of continuing his journey and his parents' peace of mind.

"Nothing much." Lying wasn't that hard. He had enough practice at home, lying to Winn about the contents of colorful packages that 'weren't birthday presents' and saying he was going to the lab when he was actually making the trek down Ascension Path and through tall grass (both forbidden by his parents without supervision) for a close up look at the ocean. "I almost fell out of a tree when I was trying to hang my backpack out of reach, but I'm fine. It was just a bit… unexpected."

"And Winn attacked you?" his father half asked, half reminded him.

"Oh yeah. I guess I overreacted. Pyra just got tangled in some bushes and sort of… set them on fire."

"I see." This would come as no surprise to anyone who knew Pyra. Anything flammable near her was bound to be ablaze in seconds if she so much as opened her mouth. "Nothing else is wrong?"

"Nope," Victor replied, a bit too quickly.

"Alright." His dad bought it. He was too trusting. Then again, Victor had built up a trustworthy reputation among family and friends until Vicky ran off. When she left, he started practicing lying like she did. At first he thought he could run after her, and maybe even bring her back. When he realized it would only hurt his parents more, he stopped his lies. The ability to lie hadn't left him, though. "I love you, Vic."

"Love you too, dad." Sincere words were so much easier, though. The lies were a burden, but he would still gladly bear them if it meant lightening the burden of worry his parents always carried.

A click signaled the end of the call. Victor took another deep breath. Only a day into the journey and he was already having second thoughts. The eager façade he put on before leaving was only a half true. He was happy to be leaving, but not for the reasons his parents believed. The truth was that he would be happy to drag his brother home, grab a little ice cream from the fridge as a belated dinner, flop down in his bed, and forget all about becoming a trainer. Training held a certain allure, but it wasn't worth the trouble.

He would be happy to do that, if he hadn't already promised himself that he would do everything in his power to get his sister to come back home. He could see his mom losing hope every day. His dad was better at keeping his feelings to himself, but Victor could tell he was different, too. He wasn't as quick to smile or laugh at a joke. Victor had seen him lost in thought more than once. Worry practically radiated from him.

He would continue his journey, he would train a strong team of Pokémon, and he would get his sister back. For his parents, for himself, and for her own good, whether she liked it or not. And maybe he would get used to this style of living after a while.

"_That's _you starter?" Oh no. He would never hear the end of this from Winn. "What was it, the aspiring loser's starter lineup?"

"Shut up!" You don't even know what aspiring means."

"Yeah I do! I heard it in a crosswords. You're just trying to change the subject, because you have a loser for a starter." Perhaps most infuriating was that he said the last part in a singsong taunt. Victor was wondering how to exact his revenge when Pyra discovered the tent. The tent promptly burst into flames.

He would just have to get used to this style of living after a while. Yeah.

With one hand on his head while the other smothered Winn's laughter, Victor tried to think positively. Optimism was key. Maybe this would be the worst of his misfortune. He could think of no better way to start a long journey than to exhaust all of his bad luck at the beginning. How much worse could it get from here?

* * *

Officer Jenny lay on the ground. She was conscious but immobile. She could feel the pain, but she couldn't do anything to stop it. Her Growlithe was in the same condition just beyond her reach. She couldn't do anything to stop his pain either. Even if she could reach out to her companion, they would still be stuck. One of the 'Pokéballs' Zane had noticed on Xu's belt earlier was next to her, arcs of discharged electricity crackling in a dome around it. A stray bolt struck her hand, sending the current jolting through her body. In an instant of agony it coursed from hand to heart. Muscles contracted against her will. Another involuntary spasm meant clenched fists and a cringe, an expression that was becoming very familiar on her face.

At the Police Academy, each officer had been required to endure a thunder wave. The move was used among others to build up a resistance to debilitating attacks. It also served some sort of moral purpose: police used the move often to apprehend fleeing suspects, and it was important they know the pain they would inflict on others.

Yet another arc wandered from its circular path to strike her. This was much more painful than any thunder wave she had ever felt. In fact it may have been the most painful thing she ever experienced. She tried to think of another example, but the constant excruciating pain made it difficult to concentrate. She writhed as another jolt passed through her.

There was no escape from the electricity, nor was their an escape from the stares of the mining brothers. They stood, mouths agape in astonishment at the spectacle before them. One second Officer Jenny was chastising them for violating parole and the next she was twitching on the ground within a prison of jagged blue bars that lit up the night. Usually she just lectured them once a month and returned to the outpost in Boomtown.

"I assure you, gentlemen, she will live. That is, barring any unforeseen complications a heart defect, a pacemaker, or a catheter might cause."

Zane and Thane were thrust from one stupor into another by the voice they would have heard before, had their recent captive been given the chance to speak previously. He didn't sound like any of the suits they'd met, and he definitely didn't act like them if he was calmly attacking a police officer. Thane was the first to gather his thoughts into intelligible words, while Zane kept mumbling and turning from the prone Jenny to the man in the red hat.

"What d'you want from us?" Thane asked, caution evident in his tone. He had ditched his gun as soon as he thought the trespasser was safely tied up in the shed, and his Pokémon were hidden away as well since the conditions of his parole had left him without a valid trainer card. The stranger had the upper hand here, and he had no intention of joining the officer on the ground in what looked like horrible pain.

The stranger smiled, tipped his hat, and said, "I've got a proposition for you."

**Too many apostrophes? Suggestions for an alternative would be much obliged if you agree.**


	5. Learning

**Disclaimer: If at any time I claim to own Pokémon neither truthfully nor in jest, may Arceus itself smite me before I can publish my blasphemy. **

**Microsoft Word wants to replace Arceus with Acres…**

She woke, but her eyes remained closed. They lazily searched the darkness behind her eyelids for fragments of the dream she'd had. She tried to grasp the images in her mind, but they were only shadows of the original dreamland. They slipped through her mental fingers like water through a strainer. She turned on her side, wondering if a shift in position might help awaken some fleeting memory. No such luck. It did awaken an odd feeling of stiffness in her neck, however.

The pain in her neck was a stranger to her. She was not accustomed to most forms of discomfort, having lived a life of luxury since birth. She ignored it at first; the urge to sleep was still greater than the urge to address the source of her irritation. She was much more interested in recovering her strange dream.

It had been a dream about Pokémon, the only things worth dreaming about aside from Mom. She had been a trainer, fighting some jerk in dark uniform just like the trainers on TV. Only, unlike on TV, she lost this battle. They never lost on TV. To right this wrong, she dreamt up a handsome vengeful savior and _he_ beat the goon into oblivion. Then he joined her they began a journey that would no doubt end in fame. It was perfect.

Too bad it was only a dream. She would never get the courage to actually run off on some wild adventure into the unknown. There was too much to lose and not enough to gain. She could remember in the dream her desire for Daddy's attention had driven her, but she was never that desperate in reality. It was a silly dream, but at least it had been fun. Life could get monotonous day after day in her home.

The pain in her neck wasn't going away. She finally gave up on the dream to rub the sore area. It was then that she realized she was wearing a necklace. Her eyes opened and adjusted to the light to find herself not in her bed, but in a tent. Confused, but still too tired to be concerned, she glanced down at the necklace. It was her mother's from the dream. As she went over the facts in her head, a bright flash of light outside blinded her for a moment.

Footsteps rushed toward her. "Sorry about that Mari. She was only supposed to wake you up. Not blind you." A flap opened and a boy stuck his head through. An Ampharos followed suit, looking embarrassed.

It was him, Reginald. It hadn't been a dream!

"Hey, Mari, are you ready to do some training?"

What would make her storm out of the house? Her thoughts went back to the day before. She recalled an injured Ponyta interrupting her morning ride, a burnt lunch (followed by a fired chef), an eternity of an hour in which the TV wasn't working, and later that stupid purple clown interrupting her when she was talking with Daddy. Was that enough to make her run away?

"I guess you'll want some food first."

No, those were all part of it, but not the main reasons. The fat man in purple was just the straw that broke the Camerupt's back. What had made her angry with Daddy in the first place was Argent.

"Mari, are you okay?"

Her stupid spoiled little brother was the only thing Daddy really paid attention to outside of work anymore. Sure, he gave her what she demanded, but nothing more. He'd been giving her less and less lately. Meanwhile, Argent got all of his free time. The major example, and the source of her anger, was birthdays.

"Mari, if you want to sleep in just say so."

During her birthday last month on the thirteenth, her golden birthday no less, Daddy hadn't even bothered showing up. She was stuck with the house staff singing a halfhearted song and lighting the wrong number of candles. She'd stormed up to her room without bothering with presents. Then, just the other day, Argent's birthday party was celebrated with Daddy in attendance. The staff was full of fake joy at her brother's tenth year in their care, but Daddy's pride was real and clear. He hugged him with a smile, Daddy _never _smiled, and announced that Argent would begin taking specialized classes to prepare him, a ten year old, to take over the company.

"Mari? I'll just make breakfast. Join me if you want to"

Now she knew why she left. If Daddy wouldn't give her the family's wealth and fame she would earn her own. She hadn't started with that idea. She sulked about it for the whole day until she decided to burst in on Daddy's latest meeting. Then, something gave her an idea. Instead of demanding Daddy give her what she deserved, she would prove to him that she deserved it. Then he would have to give in, just as usual. She was going to be the greatest trainer ever. The rest of the other day came back to her. How could she have mistaken it for a dream?

Enthusiasm replaced sleepiness. She untangled herself from the sleeping bag and practically leapt from the tent. Reginald was sitting by a small fire surrounded by rocks cooking something in a pan. He turned to her with an amused expression.

"You okay? You had a weird look in your eyes." He looked more amused than concerned.

"I'm fine. I was just tired. Long day yesterday."

"Right, well you seem to have your energy back now. As a new trainer, my first advice to you is this: Don't get used to this food because today we're using the last of the pancake batter. Don't expect to find it in stores around here. Brought it from home as a treat. Most of what you eat will be store bought nonperishables, foraged berries, and small game meat unless you're a vegetarian or something. In that case, you'll just have to make do with the first two. Any questions?" He finished, flipping the pancake.

"I didn't realize breakfast came with a lecture," she said rolling her eyes. "You sound like one of my tutors."

"Did you attend a trainer school?" He asked curiously. The pancake sizzled.

"No," she replied as her stomach rumbled. "I got some home schooling, but nothing about training. Just math and reading and all the other stuff."

"Well then, perhaps I should give you some advice. You do know about type advantages?"

"Duh." She wasn't an idiot. "I didn't take classes, but I watched plenty of TTV." Trainer Television was a channel that focused more on training than on trainer celebrities, so it wasn't her favorite channel. She had watched enough of it to know type advantages, item uses, and that sort of thing.

Ignoring her rudeness, Reginald continued, "Well then, if I have nothing to teach you, do you think you're ready for that practice match I mentioned?"

"Maybe after breakfast." She was eyeing the golden brown circle now. She was definitely hungry.

"Of course." He smiled and scooped it out of the pan and onto a plate. She hadn't even noticed the two plates beside him. He handed her one that was already stacked with two of the fluffy discs followed by a nearly empty bottle of syrup and a fork and knife.

"Enjoy," he said and dug in with nothing but a fork.

As she ate, 'Mari', as she would have to remember to refer to herself, looked around the campsite. Reginald managed to find a spot where the trees didn't block out the sun. In fact, they must have left the Yellow Woods, because the only big group of trees was behind the tents. She hadn't bothered to look up, but now that she did she saw that the grass stopped growing a few feet away from camp. Beyond that was rocky terrain. In the distance were the mountains and near them was a little group of wooden buildings that had to be Boomtown. Beyond that, purple mountains with green at the bases and capped with white decorated the skyline.

"Beautiful sight, isn't it?" She nodded in response, her mouth too full to answer.

Her mind turned from their destination to their current location. Something was bugging her. Wasn't it a bit odd for a lone trainer to be so prepared to help? He had set up two tents next to each other. He was carrying two sets of silverware and two plates. Why did he need all of the spares?

As soon as she swallowed, she voiced her question. "Why do you have two of everything?"

Reginald turned away from the view to address her. At first he seemed hesitant, but then he said, "No harm in telling you, although some people find it an odd concept. I used to travel with a friend, but we went our separate ways. I guess I brought the extra stuff with hoping to find someone new. It might sound strange, but I believe that when someone leaves you it is natural for someone else to take their place. A sort of balance, if you will. There is balance to everything, really."

"I guess that makes sense." Whatever. People had all sorts of crazy ideas, like Daddy thinking that he always needed more money or Takeshi's ghost worship. Balance seemed sensible enough, even if there was no real way to explain it. At least he wasn't doing something for happiness or protection.

"There are plenty of examples in nature," he continued. "The sunset is met by the rise of the moon, death is balanced by birth. With loss comes gain. You understand?"

Was he _still_ talking? "Yeah yeah," she said, gulping down the last bite of her pancakes and wiping the syrup on her jeans. Her etiquette coach could go jump off a cliff.

Unperturbed, he stood and smiled. "Well then, let's get to it."

* * *

The Director watched quietly as the hazmat team swept the crater that had been lab one. On the outside he appeared as intimidating and resolute as ever. In reality, however, he had never known such a state of panic. He felt that at any moment he might have a very brief meeting with an axe or some other sharp object. It wasn't unheard of for those who'd disappointed the masters to have such accidents.

He nearly jumped out of his chair when one of the hazmat men tapped him on the shoulder. He managed to suppress the instinct, instead turning slowly to meet the reflective sheen of the hazmat suit's visor with his gaze.

"I assume you've been through the proper decontamination procedure if you're touching me with that on," the director remarked.

"Of course, sir," the man replied swiftly, "Although it seems unnecessary. We didn't detect any harmful traces of radiation, electromagnetic fields, biological contaminants, or anything else to you asked us to scan for. No sign of any remains, organic, mechanical, or otherwise. It actually seemed a bit much. I doubt any one thing is capable of producing so many hazards. What were you guys working on in there?"

"Nothing you need to be aware of. I want you to run another sweep of the lab to be sure. We can't have Lord Lance's inspection inconvenienced by undetected toxins in the air."

"But sir, if we had an idea of what we should be looking for, we would be able to narrow the search parameters. The second sweep will be faster and more efficient if we aren't searching for something you know isn't there."

"I think your search would be faster and more efficient if you listen to the Director and get back to work."

This time the Director did jump, though his guest was distracted by the person who had spoken to him. Nonetheless cursing his failure to control himself, the Director turned to the monitor that had previously displayed the reestablished feed to lab one. Instead of the men and women in shiny suits, the screen now held the dark image of his direct superior. The only indication that the screen hadn't shut off were two silver pinpricks of light. The Director couldn't be sure why he insisted on obscuring himself in video messages. Perhaps he meant to intimidate his underlings, or perhaps he simply preferred the dark.

"Lord Lance, I'd been expecting you in person," the Director said, any hint of his surprise gone.

"Yes, well, I hate to _disappoint_ you," the Director winced, "but unfortunate circumstances have called my immediate attention elsewhere. Given the importance of Project Transcendence I cannot afford to let this meeting wait until a more convenient time. This will suffice. Now, as soon as the hazmat inspector gets back to work," the aforementioned man left the room, "we can begin."

"He is gone, Lord Lance." The Director had not been looking forward to this meeting. It was a slight relief that it was not in person, as Lord Lance was more intimidating face to face. He was also much less capable of inflicting injury via long-range communication devices. He was known to do so when displeased.

On the bright side, at least he wasn't dealing with General Kahn or Mr. Achnid or one of the other more temperamental members of the organization. Any of them would have his head immediately. Lord Lance was a fraction less impatient. Even so, he would not be pleased with another failure on the Director's part.

"Then begin," Lance ordered. "What misfortune has befallen your work _this _time?"

"In the final phase, the project became the target of a saboteur, sir. The test subject broke free of her restraints, and we were unable to subdue her until it was too late. I suspect she tampered with the machine without knowing what the outcome would be."

"And what was the outcome, Director?" Lance inquired, no attempt at hiding the scorn in his voice.

"The anomaly expanded. The test subject must have increased the energy input or destabilized the electromagnet maintaining the-"

"I do not care what she did or how she did it," he interrupted. The silver dots narrowed. "I want to know the end result. Can the project be salvaged?"

The Director swallowed. "Of course, sir. The anomaly engulfed the testing chamber. The whereabouts of all personnel and equipment caught in the anomaly are currently unknown. Scans indicate neither hazardous material nor organic remains. I assume-"

"We do not assume, Director. Your suppositions do not interest me. And you have not answered my question. Can the project be salvaged?"

"No equipment remains-"

"A simple yes or no will do, Director."

"There's more to it than that!"

"A simple yes or no, Director."

He sighed. "I do not believe we can continue." Then he spoke more quickly, in an attempt to get his point across before the inevitable interruption to come. "We lost everything, and we can't afford the resources that Mr. Xu-"

"A moment, Director." The pinpricks disappeared.

The Director sighed again. The constant interruptions were beginning to irritate him. The masters never bothered with any façade of civility when they dealt with subordinates, even high ranking subordinates like the Director. He could recall a time when things were different, but that was long ago. The beginning of this blasted war was a blur to those who'd lived this long, and those born since would find no help in the obscure and biased history books available to them.

The return of the silver dots to his screen drew him back to the present situation. Before he could make any inquiries as to Lance's business off screen, his superior spoke.

"Good news, Director," he said, though there was no hint of pleasure in his voice. "There may be hope for Project Transcendence after all. I've just received a very promising message from your brother."

As he finished speaking, the silver eyes were replaced by another figure. The lighting made this figure much more visible in comparison, but it was sufficiently dim to render the figure little more than a silhouette. A metallic yellow cylinder was at the center of the screen. Attached to it in what appeared to be a haphazard manner were wires and tubes running in all directions. He'd seen the figure before, and he felt hope stirring in his tired mind. As the Director watched, the top of the cylinder rose with a whir of servos just enough to reveal two blue lights.

A voice emanated from the machine, though it was not synthesized. It was not marred by the disjointed pattern of false speech typical of machines. It spoke in a voice one might expect to hear from a singer or a lector; it was loud and clear, but not overbearing. Those who had the privilege of hearing it had come to agree that it was a pleasant voice. Even those who did not typically dwell on such pleasantries agreed. The Director did not find the sound of it pleasant at the moment, but the words it spoke made him ecstatic.

"I do not see the members of the Transcendence research team, but I know they are not dead. They have been removed from this plane of existence, but can be returned. The machine still functions, and the anomaly can be recreated. There is hope for the Project yet."

If this was Omega's opinion he was saved! The masters viewed their allegedly all-seeing cyborg's words as absolute truth. If there was hope for the project there was hope for the Director. A smile worked its way onto the Director's face as the top of the cylinder lowered to cover the blue 'eyes' of the Omniscient One. As long as those idiots didn't get themselves killed in unknown territory he would be fine. Soomwa would figure out what to do.

The yellow figure was replaced by Lord Lance. "One last inquiry, Director."

"Yes sir?" The Director was smiling now. He couldn't help himself. The terrible weight of dread had left his shoulders.

"Why is it that you were not dragged by the anomaly along with the others into the unknown?"

His smile faltered. "Well, sir, I assessed the situation, and, uh, it appeared to me that with my lacking practice in self-defense and the subject's extensive knowledge of-"

"You fled, as cowards do," Lance said bluntly.

"I'm far too important to risk in such a one-sided-"

"That will be all, Director."

"Of course, Lord Lance." The silver dots disappeared before he finished, and the Director found himself addressing the image of the hazmat team in the lab one crater.

"Did you say something, sir?" asked one of them. "We have detected a slight electromagnetic resonance that-"

"Keep working," He hissed impatiently. Meetings with the masters always left him in such a foul mood. It was nice to be the one issuing commands again.

He slumped back in his chair and closed his eyes. At least he didn't have to worry about the project. This problem would just have to solve itself.

* * *

"Alright. This is a one-on-one match between Reginald Vista's Tangela,"

"Why are you speaking in third person?"

"and Marigold Aurelian's Vulpix. When you are ready you may begin!"

'Mari' obliged, sending Kit, who was already out of her ball, onto their makeshift battlefield by unceremoniously tossing her onto her half of the crooked chalk rectangle. The Tangela was soon to follow, emerging in a white light on its side of the field.

"For your first match, I thought I should give you the type advantage. I'm not cruel, after all." He'd been smiling since breakfast, and it was getting irritating. It was a smug smile, as if he didn't think she could win. As if Daddy hadn't bought her the best Pokémon money could buy. Two could play the stupid grin game, but she didn't feel like it. She would play the winning battles game instead.

Concealing her displeasure with all of the skill that could be expected of a spoiled child (in other words pouting), she decided she would be the first to give orders.

"Kit, hit it with a flamethrower."

As the little fox spat a stream of fire at her opponent, Reginald simply said, "You know what to do Tangle."

His Tangela nodded, or at least the mass of vines rocked back and forth once, and then dove away from the fire coming at it. It dove again as Kit turned her head to redirect the flames. It did this three more times, crossing the battlefield without a singe. It was a quick little thing. Now behind a very unhappy Kit, it demonstrated its speed once more. Blue vines wrapped around the little fox before she could turn half way around. Try as she might, she could not turn her head enough to hit the plant. Flames still shot impotently from her mouth as she writhed in the vines' hold.

"What's wrong with you, Kit? Burn it already!" 'Mari' shouted, her words just as useless as her Pokémon's flames.

"I assume that you have only been giving Kit orders to use fire type attacks," Reginald said from his side

Taking her eyes off of the struggling Kit to look angrily at Reginald, 'Mari' shouted back, "Duh. Ember and flamethrower. It's what she knows best."

"While that makes sense, and the fact that you're fighting a grass type gives you that advantage, sometimes you need to adapt to the situation. For instance, at the moment Kit is trapped by Tangle's bind attack. That reminds me, Tangle ingrain for good measure." The plant rocked back and forth again before some of its vines dug into the ground around it. "Not very fertile soil," Reginald noted, "but he'll be able to hold Kit better. Anyways, with Kit trapped the way she is, those attacks are useless since they both come from her mouth. You'll need to think of something else if you don't want this battle to end with Kit collapsing in Tangle's vines."

After a moment's pause, Reginald asked, "You do know her other attacks don't you?"

"Quiet!" She snapped, "I'm thinking."

Reginald just smiled. "It's a good thing your first battle is with me." Anyone else would have wiped the floor with you by now."

"Third, actually. Now be quiet."

"Well, first official battle, then."

"Quiet," she whined. She couldn't remember. She had seen trainers with Vulpix on TV all the time. She just couldn't remember them using more than flamethrower and ember off the top of her head. Then, an idea hit her.

"Kit, use fire blast!"

"Kit's stream of fire cut off, and she turned her head as far as it would go to give her trainer an inquisitive look.

"Vul vul?" it asked dumbly.

"Fire blast! It's a really powerful attack. Big fire. Come on, what's wrong with you?"

"Maybe she hasn't learned it yet," Reginald suggested. "Think of something else."

The vines squeezed tighter and Kit gave a yelp.

'Mari' was trying to concentrate. She had seen all sorts of Pokémon do all sorts of attacks, but her mind went blank on Vulpix. Many trainers had Vulpix, but most of the trainers she watched evolved theirs into Ninetales as soon as they could buy a fire stone. And that was usually pretty soon. She could understand why, seeing how pathetic Kit looked engulfed by a measly Tangela.

_I need to focus. What can this little fire spitting piece of crap _do? Another idea came to mind. It was one of the simpler attacks in the world. It wouldn't do much damage, but injuring her opponent was second priority at the moment.

"Kit, use quick attack!" 'Mari' shouted, sounding somewhat triumphant.

Kit, wondering why she'd allowed herself to participate in this fight, barked something rude at her so-called trainer. Why wouldn't the brat just call her back to the ball? It always felt like bad sleep in there, but at least the ball was warm and didn't crush her ribs.

"Just do it, Kit! I know you can. Quick attack yourself out of there." The fox obeyed grudgingly. She found herself surprised a moment later as she tore away from the blue monster, taking some of the vines with her. The human girl wooped in undisguised joy at the success of her idea. The boy on the other side of the box they'd drawn smiled differently from before. It was now a smile of approval rather than one of smugness. Kit didn't care. She was just glad to be out of the vines. Her foe remained where he'd been before. The vines she ripped off were already growing back.

"Nice move, although I'd expected you to use roar to get rid of Tangle."

Reginald's compliment was met by a groan from the other side of the field. "Why didn't I think of that?"

His smile smug again, he said, "Don't worry too much about it. It wouldn't have worked with Tangle using ingrain. He can't even be moved by a Pokéball recall now."

She stopped moaning as realization came to her. "Can't be moved?"

"Had a feeling you'd get the idea."

"Kit. Flamethrower." Kit, having heard the humans' exchange, smiled slyly as heat began building in her throat.

"Don't assume the battle is over just yet," Reginald advised. "It's not over until the opponent is back in its ball." He turned his attention to Tangle. "Growth Tangle. Then vine whip."

As the Tangela's vines took on a green sheen, Kit unleashed a powerful stream of flame right in its face. For a few moments nothing happened. Kit kept up a steady flame while the Tangela just sat there glowing green and getting burned. Then several vines rose up from the main body and struck at Kit.

Kit took the first few, but by the fourth they were really starting to sting. She dodged the fifth and those that followed, but lost control of the flamethrower in the process. The fire died down and the burnt vines regained their healthy blue color.

"We'll really have to work on your technique." Reginald commented. "you'll need some more practice before you face the first gym here."

'Mari' wasn't listening. She was pouting again and shouting at Kit.

"It's a grass move! It can't hurt you that bad. Flamethrower it quick before it gets all its health back!" Her shouting was to no avail, as Kit kept her focus on dodging and didn't bother trying to aim another flamethrower.

"This is becoming a bit tiresome," Reginald commented. "Maybe we should just end it now."

"No way!" 'Mari' would not lose this. Not when she had the easy advantage. It would be humiliating. "Aim for its vines as they attack, Kit." It was worth a shot.

The fox seemed to agree, as she fired embers at each vine successfully driving some back while others only grazed her.

Reginald had other ideas. "Get ready for a power whip, Tangle."

Once again, the mass of vines rocked back and forth. One vine stood out from the others. It glowed purple and lengthened behind the Tangela while its other vines kept Kit at bay. As it was about to strike, a crashing noise in the woods nearby caught the trio's attention, the trio being the two humans and the Tangela. Kit had far more self-involved things to focus on like avoiding irritating whips.

As the aforementioned trio brought more attention to the din in the forest, fewer whips lashed out at Kit. Her sly grin was restored. The heat gathered in her throat again. She wouldn't settle for her usual fire. This was going to be a _hot_ one.

Both Reginald and 'Mari' were familiar with the sounds they were hearing. Reginald had seen both Pokémon and humans cut down trees for building material and firewood, and 'Mari' had often heard Daddy's men clear cutting sections of the Yellow Wood or seen trainers clear inconvenient trees with one of the oldest HMs in the world.

Wood protested with creaking groans as trees as tall as Donyoku's mansion succumbed to gravity and fell defeated to the ground. The noise seemed to be coming from the direction they'd travelled, a bit to the west of the path they'd travelled. As the noise got louder they could see the tops of trees disappear beneath the tops of others that soon followed in what looked like a domino effect. The whine of an electric saw blade was barely audible above the thudding trees.

"Whatever that is," Reginald shouted, "It's big and it's moving fast. Luckily we don't seem to be in its path."

Just as the trees nearest the forest's end fell, Kit unleashed an attack that engulfed the unsuspecting Tangela in flames. Its flaming vines flailed as much out of surprise as in pain.

"Hey!" Reginald was not happy with the cheap shot, but 'Mari' wasn't paying attention. The thing responsible for all of the noise had emerged from the trees and she recognized it instantly. She also recognized the two black trucks that followed it. Even if she hadn't seen the vehicles before, she would have recognized the golden-sun-in-fist logo.

Reginald anger subsided as soon as he noticed the logo. His smile did not return. He was as serious as he had been fighting the guard who'd been harassing his new friend. "What do _you _want?" He shouted at them, recalling Tangle, who had been knocked out from the burns inflicted by what looked like an inferno attack. He sent Amp out just in case. He caught sight of the symbol and became as serious as his trainer.

At first, none of them seemed interested in the children and their Pokémon a few yards away. A man opened a door in the cab of the front vehicle, a large yellow truck with spinning saw blades and a plow affixed to the front. He wore the same dark uniform as the guard they'd fought before except for a tiny difference in the color of the red fist on his shirt. The man rushed to the back of the truck in the middle where he was handed a gas can. Reginald noted that the middle truck's contents were simply covered by a tarp while each truck in the front and rear carried a large metal box.

It was an odd sight. Not many people used cars of any kind except to move things that Pokémon couldn't conveniently carry or when travelling long distances. It was an even odder sight to see vehicles moving around off road.

The man who'd received the gas can saluted clumsily before running back to the front truck. Halfway there he tripped on his own feet and fell hard to the ground. He didn't even wince. He just looked very confused.

The saw blades had stopped spinning now and two other men got out of the truck. One on each side, they began disassembling the saws by removing bolts that held them in place on their side of the truck. Carefully, they moved the components to the back of their truck. The one on the driver's side, not seeing the driver sprawled on the ground, tripped and sent his pieces flying. The blunt part that had been affixed to the truck smacked into the windshield of the middle truck prompting an angry shout from within.

"For the love of Shara! Can't you idiots manage anything without breaking something. Hmph. So many under direct control is more difficult. Well, if you want something done right, and all that."

From the driver's seat of the middle truck emerged a familiar purple fatso accompanied by an even more familiar Daddy. Although Mr. Donyoku's light hair looked unkempt, his suit and tie were disheveled, he was paler than usual, and he looked like he'd been sweating a lot he was still easily recognizable. 'Mari' was not happy to see either of them again. She wasn't sure which one she was less happy with at the moment. Probably the purple one.

As the purple fatty gestured at the guards who had fallen, Mr. Donyoku stared absently at the children nearby. He blinked a few times, as he tried to remember something. Then the glazed look left his eyes. He stuttered, "A-Aurum?"

The purple guy snapped his attention away from the slowly rising guards and turned to look at Donyoku. The latter started to sweat and turn red until his eyes glazed over again. His panic stricken features returned to the obliviousness of before. Something about it made 'Mari' feel sick inside. She couldn't quite place it.

"Get back in the truck," the purple guy ordered. As Donyoku obeyed, the purple guy turned to look at the children as well. He smiled in recognition. "You again. I thought I'd gotten rid of you. And you," he pointed at Reginald, "must be the one that Marvin fellow was on about. Beat his little monster with your own, eh? Very interesting, your competitions, but not my current concern. It is, however, all I can get _him_ to focus on, so he isn't of much use. I suppose letting him loose on you couldn't hurt. Then again-"

"What did you do to my Da- Mr. Donyoku?" 'Mari' shouted, almost forgetting her lie.

"It's of no concern to you, child. He doesn't want you around, remember? Perhaps it would be best… I've seen children muck up a perfectly good plan before. Family complications…" His speech had deteriorated to mumbling that Reginald and 'Mari' could no longer hear. All the while, guards were moving pieces until the yellow truck was identical to the truck in the back except for in color. Finally, the purple guy spoke up. "Keep your focus on your own little quest, children. Do not interfere with our work."

With that, the gas tank of the front car was filled and the purple guy climbed into the driver's seat of his truck. Then the convoy was off, heading toward Boomtown.

"What was that about?" Reginald asked, confused.

"I'm not sure," 'Mari' replied, "but I think we should follow them."

Reginald shrugged. "We're going that way anyway, and I didn't like the way that guy talked. Like we didn't have a say in the matter. I've only ever heard people who were up to something talk like that. And believe me, I've had more than a few run-ins with people like that."

Recalling Amp and Kit, the two set out toward Boomtown, following the three trucks becoming smaller and smaller in front of them.

* * *

"Hello miss, could you tell me where I might find some capable men and women to help me. My colleagues and I were working in a cave across town when-"

Carol looked up from the blanket she was knitting on the porch to see a man in a duster rambling on in front of her house. She couldn't work with this distraction. She cut him off.

"If you're lookin' for help, don't ask the locals. Those who still work, work for themselves, and they only work down by the river. The gold left in those caves is Donyoku property, and only an idiot or a trainer is gonna go in there."

"Where might I found one of these trainers?" The man asked expectantly.

"They always check into the Center on their way into town," she said, pointing down the road to the Pokemon Center.

The man smiled. "Thank you miss." Then he was off, striding at a quick pace toward the Center. Carol just shook her head. Then she was back to knitting. Maybe he'd find some kid dumb enough to help him for free with whatever he was doing.


	6. Win Some

Finally, after stomping out the flames on his tent while Winn laughed, surviving a night under the stars while Winn snored, consuming a makeshift breakfast of energy bars while Winn whined, and walking for hours that had seemed like days while Winn complained, he had reached the outskirts of Boomtown.

It had been a windy day, and what little protection the trees offered had been left with the forest. On the bright side they didn't have to worry about any more branches falling on them. On the dim side, if that were a saying, the wind was against them the whole way, and thanks to the deforested area that surrounded Boomtown it had kicked up a nasty little sandstorm. As a result, Victor had to dig a pair of goggles out of his bag, which would have been difficult without sand flying into his eyes and Winn complaining about the sand in _his_ eyes.

Unfortunately, his mother hadn't packed two pairs, so he had to give his to Winn while he shielded his eyes to the best of his ability with his arm. It turned out that his ability wasn't that great, but he managed to move forward slowly until the storm died down. Eventually the sand stopped flying and visibility was normal again. The wind still gave him a chill though. It probably wouldn't have if he could wear his Mareep wool sweater, but Winn got that too.

He glanced back at his little brother, still wearing the goggles over his eyes. He hadn't done anything to prepare. He'd followed Victor in nothing more than a green shirt, now covered by a red sweater that was too big for him, a black pair of shorts, and his gym shoes. He didn't even have a jacket, even though he knew it was the cold season. Apparently he had followed Victor with the idea that his big brother would have everything he needed. While Victor did have everything a kid could need, he had it for himself. There wasn't enough for a tagalong.

A crueler brother would have smiled to see Winn shiver as the wind chilled his unprotected legs, but Victor only frowned and shivered himself. Winn was annoying, but it was more annoying that he was so unprotected. If he had at least planned ahead, Victor might not be so unhappy. His eyes might not sting and he might not feel so cold either. As it was, his brother hadn't planned ahead, so he would just have to buy what he needed in Boomtown. Until they got there, they would do with what they had.

_At least I wore long sleeves,_ he thought, once again trying to look on the bright side. Unlike his brother, he'd thought to bring several pairs of blue jeans, cargo pants, and long sleeved shirts in addition to some warm weather attire. At the moment, he wished he'd managed to fish his red jacket out of the bag, but somehow it had eluded him. He was left with the same blue shirt and jeans he'd worn the day before. It wasn't the first time he'd reworn clothes and it definitely wouldn't be the last, seeing as Pokémon Centers were the only places where he could wash his clothes, and they only existed in towns with gyms as far as he knew.

When they finally got there, Victor's Pokégear showed it was three in the afternoon. They probably would've made better time if Victor hadn't been up half the night dealing with Winn's snoring and the other half dealing with every little noise that made him jump. Most of the snapping twigs and rustling bushes were accompanied by faint giggles, which only irritated him further. At least he'd get some sleep in the Pokémon Center

"Is that the place?" Winn asked, wiping fog from his goggles. The town was only a few minutes away at this point. The red roof of the Pokémon Center stuck out among the few wooden shacks that still stood. Most had been torn down or had fallen apart since their owners moved away after the big Donyoku buy out. Those few who had refused to sell their claims or decided to stay for other reasons hadn't bothered to care for their old neighbors' abandoned homes.

"Yeah," Victor replied. "That's Boomtown." Although he spoke without enthusiasm, his heart was racing. This was the place where his journey would truly begin. Battles with wild Pokémon wouldn't really test his or his partner's ability. The only way to really know if he was getting stronger would be to defeat the gym leader. Once he could beat the whole league, he could probably handle his sister. Of course, she'd had four years' head start, but that wouldn't stop him. He'd heard of ten year olds who had beaten their region's reigning champs in their first year. If a kid his brother's age could do that, he could raise a winning team to take on his sister. And then there would be the issue of finding her, but he had to take things one step at a time.

"Well then, let's go!" Winn snapped Victor out of his thoughts as he raced forward, Pyra's ball in hand. Victor knew his brother wanted a race, and even though he was tired he wouldn't mind. However, there was one problem.

"Winn, wait! Wood!"

"What?" Winn spun around to face his brother. "Why do you like that altercation stuff so much?" Then realization dawned on him. "Oh yeah! Pyra stays in the ball. Sorry." Then he was racing off again.

Victor was happy to chase after him. He decided this race was the grand finale of the first leg of the journey, and he would be the victor. As he caught up to Winn, he earned a sour look from his shorter brother by running a quick circle around him.

"Long legs is cheating!" Winn managed to shout despite the effort it took for him to run his fastest.

"It's alliteration, by the way," Victor replied. Then he ran ahead of Winn, looking back over his shoulder as his brother grew smaller behind him. He was puzzled a moment when Winn stopped altogether, pointed, and shouted something. Victor faced forward just in time to see a shocked pair of brown eyes before a splitting pain shot through his head. Then he was on the ground in a daze. Winn used this time to catch up to him.

"That's what you get for not paying attention," Winn mocked in his singsong voice. Just as Victor was about to retort, another speaker cut in.

"I'll check my messages in a closet next time, then. Jeese, that smarts."

Victor froze up for a moment, but the moment passed and he managed to apologize. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

He'd run into a girl who looked to be about his age.

"You don't say," the girl replied. She pushed her brown hair out of her eyes and brushed dirt off of her pink shirt and jeans as she stood. "Does my attacker have a name?"

"Victor," he said as he stood up, too. "Do you want something for that?" he asked, pulling the bag off his shoulders. "I think there's some ibuprofen in here somewhere."

As he began rummaging, she shook her head. "No thanks. I have a thick skull, or so I'm told. The name's Alma."

She spoke with a city accent that Victor had heard before. "Are you from Goldenrod?"

"Yeah. I've toured three regions now. This'll be the fourth. The first gym here was easy enough. You look about my age. Where did you start out?" The head injury had been forgiven, it seemed.

"I'm actually from here. Premier Village is just a day away through Dark Cave traveling south. Although, we took the forest route. It's longer, but safer. There's a dangerous Pokémon somewhere in there."

"Uh-huh." She didn't seem too concerned with the look of worry on his face or the way he'd been rambling. "Did you start out somewhere else then? I heard the Pokémon around here are tougher, after all."

"Nope. I just started yesterday."

"Oh. What type of starter do they give out here?"

"Well," Victor wasn't sure how to put it. "They don't have the standard starters here since the local researcher isn't a certified member of the PRO, so…"

"Victor got a wimp!" Winn cut in loudly. He got a pink little scaredy-cat that can't even take a joke."

"Most jokes don't involve being jumped by a Houndour," Victor protested. He could feel his face and ears getting hot as he defended the little thing. "And he's not a total wimp. He beat some wild Pokémon on the way here."

"What is he?" Alma asked, but Winn wasn't done.

"It starts crying the second it's out of the Pokéball."

"That's only because you scare him every time he comes out of his ball."

"Okay," Alma stepped between the two brothers, who looked like they were about to start a fistfight. "Since neither of you are going to tell me what your Pokémon is, there's only one thing I can do." She stepped back again and declared, "I challenge you to a battle."

Victor took a step back too. He hadn't been expecting a trainer challenge so soon. "I don't have any other Pokémon yet."

"That's the point," she said flatly. "It'll be a one-on-one between your starter and the first Pokémon I caught here. She hasn't been trained too much yet, so she could use the experience. Fair enough?"

"I guess," Victor replied. Before he even finished saying, "I," Alma had grabbed a Pokéball from her belt.

"Let's do this then. Show 'em what you can do, Dunsparce."

As the little yellow Pokémon appeared, Victor stared in astonishment.

"You can only find those in a certain section of Dark Cave."

"They're rare in Johto, too. In a cave called Dark Cave no less. Who names these places? Anyway, when I heard there were some here I decided I had to have one. Now I do!"

"Cool," Victor was impressed with the rarity of her find, but he was less curious about where in the cave she had been than when she'd been there. "When were you in Dark Cave?"

"A few days ago. I got here the day before yesterday."

"You didn't see anything big and white with big black eyes that breathed really loud and looked really creepy, did you?" He was talking fast again, like he always did when he was nervous.

"Scariest thing we saw was an Onix, and my Feraligatr took care of that. Now are we gonna talk or are we gonna battle?"

"Right," He said, reddening again. "Let's go Whiz."

The moment the white light shot from the red and white ball, Winn was there. As the energy-to-matter conversion neared an end, Winn scrunched up his face, widened his eyes, and opened his mouth wide. When the little pink Pokémon finally appeared, it took one look at Winn and started crying, subsequently drowning out Winn's cry of "Boo!" The three children's hands shot to their ears.

"So he's a Whismur," she remarked. She held up a little red square device and stared at it.

Victor couldn't see what she was looking at, but Alma had seen something that pleased her. She walked over to the shrieking creature and shoved its yellow tipped ears over the holes in its head. Eventually it quieted down and inhaled deeply through its mouth. "Whis?" it said in a tiny voice.

"How did you do that?" Victor asked.

"According to the Pokédex, 'it usually murmurs, but starts crying when it senses danger. It stops when its ear covers are shut.'"

"Where did you get a Pokédex?"

"It's standard issue in Johto, although my first one broke. I picked this one up in Kanto. I guess without officials from the research organization involved you didn't get one."

"It seems useful. I'll have to remember to cover his ears next time he has a fit. Now if I could only get Winn to shut up."

"Hey!" Winn protested. This drew a slight yelp from Whiz, but his ears were still covered. He quieted down after a minute.

"That thing's got some lungs on it," Alma muttered.

"Shut up!" Winn shouted.

"I was talking about the Whismur, kid."

"His name's Winn."

"Gah! Why so many distractions? Let's get on with the battle."

"Right, sorry. Whiz, do you think you can battle? Like those Rattata you beat earlier."

Whiz gave a nod.

"Okay then, I think we're ready."

"Ladies first," Alma declared. "Hit 'em with take down, Dunsparce."

"Dodge and use howl, Whiz!" The puffball tried to obey, but couldn't get out of the way in time. Dunsparce slammed into Whiz, and Whiz went into an uproar. He still managed a howl between shrieks.

"Wiiiiiiimpyyyyy," someone called from the sidelines.

"Shut it Winn! Whiz, use pound!"

"Dodge it with dig. Then use rage."

Battling against another trainer was more difficult than he'd first thought. This realization came to Victor upon seeing the yellow snake burrow beneath Whiz's attack only to launch itself at him from beneath. It was no wonder the battles against wild Pokémon were easier. Trained Pokémon had a guide viewing the battle from another perspective, supplying strategy through commands that might not come to mind in the rush of a fight.

"Astonish, Whiz. Then follow it up with pound."

"Dig again," Alma ordered, but it was too late. With a war cry added to the din of uproar, Whiz's attack connected and the Dunsparce flinched. The pound that followed was strengthened by his earlier howl. The Dunsparce was knocked back to her trainer.

"Can you keep going?" Alma asked. Her Pokémon's little yellow head shook weakly. The trainer sighed. "Can't win 'em all. I guess I should've taken her to the Center after the gym match. We should all head to the Pokémon Center."

"That was the plan when we got here," Victor told her. "Good match."

Alma smiled. "Glad I could give you some advise about your Whismur."

"That reminds me," Winn said. He was tiptoeing behind a heavy breathing and unsuspecting Whiz who'd just finished his uproar.

"No Winn!" Victor said sternly. Unfortunately it was Victor's shout that upset Whiz once again. Victor returned the shrieking Pokémon to his ball with a sigh. "We've got to work on that."

Alma shrugged. "It's in his nature."

Alma decided she would like to watch Victor's match against the local gym leader, so she accompanied him and his brother on the way to his first official battle. The first stop was the Center where Nurse Joy took their Pokéballs and placed them in the healing machine. Alma then briefed Victor on the Gym Leader he was about to face. His name was Lawrence Digsby, she said, and he was proud to be the first hurdle League challengers faced in Yamasan. It had surprised her when Victor admitted that he didn't know any of the Gym Leaders' names.

"Knowing what you're up against is essential to preparing a good battle strategy," she had said. "Do you even know what type he specializes in?"

When he shook his head, she informed him that, "Most Gym Leaders specialize in a specific type of Pokémon. Some of them do it differently here, or so I've heard, but Lawrence is a ground type specialist and proud of it. I doubt you'll find an ice type in the area, but if you could catch a water type or a grass type you'd do fine-"

"But the nearest body of water is somewhere north of here, and most plants don't come out during the cold season," he'd interrupted.

"Well then, at least you don't have a disadvantage with your Whismur. A normal type shouldn't have too much trouble here. Your strategy could probably use some work, though. He does two versus two single battles. The Pokémon you'll want to know how to beat will be Marowak, Dugtrio, and Donphan. That's as much as I'll give you. Do some research." Then she tossed her Pokédex at him and seated herself in one of the chairs near by.

He had done some research with her borrowed Pokédex. The operative word there was some. He wasn't sure if he was getting bored or anxious or both, but finally he jumped up from his seat in the lobby. He handed the Pokédex back to Alma, who had been reading a magazine nearby, and announced that he was ready for the gym.

"I want to get it over with, really," he explained, "and I think I figured some stuff out from the Pokédex. Dugtrio is fast for a ground type, Donphan and Marowak have good attack and great defense, and Donphan is the only one that will have to rely on physical attacks.

"I suppose those are nice bits of trivia," Alma replied. "Let's see how you use that knowledge. I think Nurse Joy should be done with them, so we can head out to the gym."

Alma got up and walked to the counter, Victor close behind. Winn noticed the two getting up and rushed after them. Joy noticed them as well and smiled as they approached. "Your Pokémon are all taken care of. Good luck with your gym battle."

"Thanks," Victor said as he was handed his Pokéball. Alma nodded as hers were handed to her as well. Winn frowned.

"Where's my Pokémon?"

Victor returned his frown. "You never gave Pyra to the nurse because she doesn't need to be healed. She is in my pocket where she'll stay until we leave this town full of kindling."

"Why don't I get to hold her ball?" Winn whined.

"Because you would let her out," Victor replied simply as he headed for the door.

The trio proceeded across town to one of the few newer brick structures the League had constructed when they established a presence in the region, the gym. On the way they passed several wooden houses. Some were sturdy cabins while others were in shambles. A few people waved or gave the trainers dirty looks as they passed them on their porches or from their windows. The dirty looks were far more common.

They also passed another newer building. The police station was a tiny building with a glass automatic double door like the Pokémon Center. As Victor glanced inside, he could see that the lights were on and there was a desk adorned with a coffee maker and a bunch of papers, and a small cell marked by bars took up a good portion of the building. Although the lights were on, nobody seemed to be home. Maybe she had been needed for an emergency.

They finally arrived at the gym, easily the largest building in town, although it was still only one story tall. Apart from its size, its red brick walls and the sign out front set it apart from the other newer buildings. When they were four feet away, the doors slid open and a small, angry looking blonde boy in a blue polo stormed out followed by a gray haired man in a fancy looking suit and tie. "Move!" The boy, a bit taller than Winn, shoved through the trio pushing past Winn and Victor as he went.

They watched as the boy stomped his way to the Pokémon Center, shouting at no one in particular and leaving closed doors and disgruntled townsfolk in his wake. The brothers jumped and Alma spun around when the man in the suit spoke behind them.

"Do excuse Master Argent's behavior. He's just suffered a nasty loss to Mr. Digsby, and he has always demonstrated poor sportsmanship." With that he went off in pursuit of the angry little boy.

"That was…" Victor found himself at a loss for words.

"Weird?" Alma suggested. "I've seen stranger things. Just get on with the battle!" She grabbed him by the arm and led him into the gym. Winn, who'd been glaring after the other boy, realized they were leaving and ran after them.

Victor managed to get a good look at the interior of the gym. It was empty for the most part. He glanced from the left, where a Marowak was lazily juggling its bone, to the center where the battlefield was located, to the right, where a man was standing next to what looked like one of the Center's healing machines. He only managed to get a quick look at the man from behind. Then he was looking at the dirt floor.

He managed to stop his head from hitting the rough ground, but his hands and knees were killing him. Long sleeves saved him from skinned knees, but they still hurt just as much as his hands and back. His back hurt where Winn had run into him. He got to his feet and turned to find Winn sniveling on the ground.

"Oh, come on. You landed on your butt."

"I'm n-not crying. I j-just… yawned," Winn replied, teary eyed.

"You again?" A gruff voice called from across the gym. "So soon? I'm not available for a rematch. I'm on a winning streak!"

"I'm here to watch," Alma called back. "Victor here is your next challenger."

The man turned to face Victor. He was a short man, only about five feet tall. That meant Victor was looking down a few inches at the first gym leader. The confidence on his face was only slightly obscured by a thick black beard, long messy hair, and bushy eyebrows. Even so, a cocky half smile was clearly plastered beneath his beard and pride was evident in his eyes. He wore a duster, denim jeans, and a wide brimmed hat similar to some of the other miners in town, except that his seemed to be a bit dirtier.

"Oh, another kid thinks he can take on the likes of Lawrence Digsby, huh? You think you and your team got what it takes to face off against creatures of the earth? You got the guts to fight Pokémon that plow straight through the ground you take for granted as solid? Are you ready to stand by while my team beats your Pokémon into the dirt and soils their graves?"

Victor was taken aback. With each sentence, the little Gym Leader had come closer until he was only a few inches away from Victor's face. He glanced over at Alma and his brother who had moved to stand on the sidelines. He figured she could offer some guidance, and he wanted to see how Winn was holding up. Winn was still sniffling and wiped his nose on his sleeve, which was technically Victor's sleeve. Shrugging off the irritated feeling, he looked to Alma. She just rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Yeah," Victor replied, not sounding very certain.

"Well then, you're in luck." He made his way to the healing machine. "I think Dugtrio's had enough of a rest to heal the scratches that other kid's pathetic pup gave him." He swiped one of the Pokéballs from the machine and made his way to the other side of the field. Once he was there he turned to face Victor and his smile widened.

"Let's see what you've got, kid." With that, a brown Pokémon formed on the field. Victor recognized the mole Pokémon from his research on Alma's 'dex. Its three brown heads bobbed up and down in the dirt. Three pairs of eyes glared menacingly at him, only slightly diminished in menace by three bright pink noses. Of course, Victor shouldn't think less of partially pink Pokémon, but the thought came to mind nonetheless.

"We can do this Whiz." He realized this was more of an attempt to reassure himself than his Pokémon. Maybe he should've trained more with Pyra or Alma, but there was no turning back now. His Whismur was already on the battlefield. If he changed his mind now, he'd forfeit. He might as well test his skill. The worst thing that could happen either way was a loss.

"You first, kid," Digsby called. "I like to give my challengers a fighting chance."

Victor obliged. "Howl, Whiz."

Whismur's frightful nature could be used to an advantage. From his battles against wild Pokémon and Alma's Dunsparce, he had figured out that when Whiz made or heard any noise he went into an uproar. So when Victor ordered Whiz to howl, it was like issuing two orders at once. One to increase his attack power and the other to attack with his piercing cries.

He could see the Dugtrio wince at the noise before Digsby shouted something that Victor couldn't quite hear. Apparently Dugtrio had heard, because the three brown lumps started moving faster and disappeared underground.

Whiz continued screaming to no effect as his foe burrowed beneath him. Victor couldn't think of any way to hurt Dugtrio while it was digging, so he ordered Whiz to howl again. He wasn't sure if the Pokémon heard him over its own screams until a lower pitched howl escaped its mouth between shrieks. He was about to tell Whiz to keep howling when the Dugtrio burst out of the ground behind the Whismur. Whiz was knocked a few feet into the air and landed on his head, briefly covering his ears and cutting off his screams. Victor could just make out the order Digsby shouted as a result.

"Magnitude!" Dugtrio rose and fell rapidly in the dirt at different intervals. No two heads were in the same position at the same time. The ground shook weakly and Whiz stumbled around trying to regain his footing. Victor stumbled too, and he heard a shout from Winn on the sidelines. By this time Whiz was screaming again, so he only made out some of the conversation.

"…crazy!" from Winn and something about, "…reinforced walls…" from Alma.

As the quake died down, the healing machine beeped and a number appeared on the side facing the battlers.

"Five? You can do better than that!" Victor could actually hear Digsby's shout above Whiz's screaming. While his foe was distracted, Victor hoped to get in a good attack. Would pound or astonish be more effective. He could always order them in quick succession. Maybe Dugtrio would even flinch and pound would take him out.

"Astonish, then pound." Whiz ran toward his enemy with a war cry that was hardly distinguishable from his regular crying. Unfortunately, Dugtrio was faster than Alma's Dunsparce and dug quickly as Digsby ordered. The pink Pokémon punched nothing but dirt.

Dugtrio launched itself at Whiz's right side this time. The little guy pushed himself back up, the shrill uproar still going strong, and faced Dugtrio. He didn't look too good; He was scraped, bruised, and dirty. This was by far the toughest opponent Victor had faced, not that this surprised him. He expected the gym battle to be rough, but not this rough.

"Pound it, quick!" If he could just take out Dugtrio he would be satisfied. Then he could forfeit and get Whiz healed. As Whiz moved to strike, Digsby called out to his own Pokémon.

"Don't let it land that attack. Magnitude! Give it your all!" The ground shook much more violently this time. Whiz stumbled right in front of Dugtrio and missed. Victor actually fell to the side, and he could hear Winn cry out as he landed on his sore bottom. Even Lawrence seemed to lose his balance for a moment, but regained it without trouble. The lights flickered and the ground shook, but the walls stood strong. When the shaking finally died down, Whiz was unconscious and the healing machine's extra feature read 10 in big red numbers.

"Magnitude is a gamble, but I knew I could count on ole Dugtrio. I think your screamer's down for the count. Who's next for the slaughterhouse, kid?"

Victor was sullenly recalling Whiz when Digsby's last sentence registered in his mind. He had completely forgotten that he was allowed to use two Pokémon. He knew she had a disadvantage, but it was worth a shot. He pulled Pyra's ball from his pocket and sent a confused canine onto the field.

"Well, well. Another pathetic pup for Dugtrio to crush. Granted, this one looks a bit meaner than that other kid's Growlithe. No real difference though, when it comes down to ground trumping fire."

"You said Pyra was staying in the ball!" Winn shouted angrily from his position on the ground. Alma was next to him, looking slightly disheveled.

"That was because the other buildings were flammable." He turned to address Digsby. "This building isn't flammable, is it?"

"It's fireproofed. Us gym leaders have to take precautions, you know."

"She's MY Pokémon!" Winn protested.

"Technically she's dad's Pokémon, and you don't have a trainer's license. You can't legally own a Pokémon without a license, so as long as she's with us she's under my care."

"I'm getting impatient here. Are you battling or not?" Digsby was still smirking as he said this.

"Are you ready for a fight, Pyra?" She cocked her head to the side and barked. "Do you want to battle?" Pyra lowered her front half, glaring at the Dugtrio and growling. Then she yipped happily and leapt onto the battlefield. Victor would take that as a yes. It had been a while since his dad had used her in battle, but he hoped some of her skills had stuck with her.

"Start with a flamethrower." The flames shot from Pyra's mouth and grazed the Dugtrio as it dove underground. When it struck from her left, Pyra leapt out of the way. She didn't avoid it entirely, but she didn't take the full blow either.

"Bite it!" Pyra leapt forward and snapped her jaws at the foe. Dugtrio winced as she connected with one of the triplets. Victor noted a burn on one of the others before it pulled itself underground once more. Pyra held on as long as possible and got a mouth full of dirt for her effort. Growling, she searched the deceptively calm battle field for movement.

Dugtrio struck from directly beneath her, knocking the wind out of her.

"Smoke screen, Pyra." She spat out a cloud of thick black smoke. It covered nearly half the field and obscured the Pokémon form both trainers.

"Magnitude!" Digsby shouted through the haze.

"Stop him with fire fang," Victor ordered. Pyra didn't succeed in stopping the magnitude, and the ground started shaking again. The smoke began to clear, and the shaking died down again. When the smoke finally dissipated, Digsby's smirk disappeared and he groaned.

"Four? Come on, Dugtrio. That's the worst you've done today." His complaints went unheard, though. Dugtrio had passed out from his burns. To Victor's surprise, the Gym Leader's half smile returned when he realized this.

"Nice going, kid. You beat Dugtrio. But can you beat Marowak?"

The Marowak, who'd been standing beside Alma and Winn, walked over to Digsby's side of the field as the Gym Leader recalled his Dugtrio. It tossed its bone in the air and caught it, showing off. Then it turned to glare at Pyra.

"I'll take the first move this time, kid." Digsby declared. "Marowak, use bonemerang."

The Marowak launched its bone at Pyra with a lightning-quick flick of the wrist. Pyra tried to leap out of the way, but the bone smacked her in the head. It stopped short of Victor, who cringed as it sent a breeze past his face. Then it smacked Pyra in the back of the head on the way to its owner. Poor Pyra looked dazed and stumbled around for a moment.

"Bonemerang again," Digsby ordered. The bone flew at Pyra once more. Victor tried to think of something. There was no way she'd get out of the way in time.

"Pyra, flamethrower! Knock it off course!" She shot a stream of flame at the airborne bone, but it was no use. The bone shot through the flames and collided with her snout once more. She hit the ground before it came around for the second pass.

A red beam of light reclaimed the canine just as Marowak caught its bone. Digsby laughed. "The winning streak continues. Better luck next time, kid. Just goes to show that my awesome ground types should never be underestimated. You just happen to be an exception to the rule, missy." He was speaking to Alma with that last part, and she rolled her eyes again.

As Victor left the gym he couldn't help but feel a little glum. He hadn't expected to do well, but he hadn't expected to do so horribly. He'd underestimated the amount of training Whiz needed, and now his Pokémon had suffered for it.

"Cheer up," Alma said as they walked out the door, rather forcefully for a suggestion. "You'll get better with a little more training, and at least you beat one of his Pokémon. That's better than I did in my first gym battle. Do you know how humiliating it is to lose to a Pidgey?"

Winn remained strangely silent the entire time they walked. He was probably sulking over his injured butt or Victor's use of Pyra in his gym battle.

As they drew closer to the Pokémon Center, Victor noticed more and more houses with closed doors and windows and vacant porches. Alma noticed this too, and both wondered why everyone was inside when the sun was still bright in the nearly cloudless sky. Their curiosity ended when a familiar whining caught their ears at the Center's entrance and Victor and Alma exchanged glances. Winn just kept sulking. The double doors slid open and the whining got louder. In the lobby, a man in a duster stood off to the side as the same boy from the gym screamed at the man in the suit. Nurse Joy looked disapprovingly at the child.

"Why can't I go with? I'm a trainer like on the TV! That means I get to help solve people's problems!"

The man in the suit and tie sighed. "You cannot make solid arguments with cartoons as evidence. Your father is upset enough that you've left the house for this little excursion. If we don't return tomorrow, I'll be fired for sure."

"So?" the boy replied sharply.

"He'll also have you grounded for a month, no doubt."

The boy seemed to think it over. "Fine. But I still want to beat the gym man. He cheated!"

The suited man gave a long suffering sigh and spoke to the other man. "My apologies, sir, but Master Argent will not be participating in your escapade."

"No problem," the man replied, adjusting his slightly bent glasses. "I'll just have to find some other trainers. You have a good day."

"The same to you sir," the man in the suit replied. He then led Argent down the hall to the rental rooms. He grumbled as he went, but at least he wasn't loud anymore. Victor watched curiously as the boy stomped down the hall. The man accompanying him opened a door only to have Argent slam it in his face. The man only frowned slightly and opened the door again, shutting it gently behind him.

Victor turned back to the counter and pulled Whiz and Pyra's Pokéballs out of his pocket. When Victor passed his Pokéballs to Nurse Joy for healing, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for the disturbance. Some people just don't know how to act in public. Your Pokémon will be right as rain in no time."

"Thanks," Victor replied absently. He was looking over at Alma who had been approached by the man in the duster. He said something and she looked up from her magazine. He was speaking enthusiastically, and she was listening with a look of interest on her face. He couldn't quite make out what was being said, but Alma nodded and the man shook her hand with the same enthusiasm that had been in his voice.

Victor was so focused on trying to hear what they were saying that he didn't hear Nurse Joy at first. The second time she spoke, she caught his attention with a tap on the shoulder. "Your Pokémon are back to full health." She passed them over the counter.

"Thanks," he said again. His focus was already back on Alma and the stranger. Alma was reading her magazine again. She looked up as Victor approached.

"What's up?" She asked, looking back down at the magazine.

"I was just curious what that guy was talking about."

"It sounded pretty interesting. You should ask him about it. He's some type of archaeologist. Wanted some help finding his dig team and some type of artifact. He said I'd get paid, too." She flipped a page and went back to reading. Victor decided he should ask the stranger since Alma didn't seem too interested in elaborating.

"Excuse me," Victor said as he approached the man. He'd been making notes in some sort of leather bound journal. He looked up and gave Victor a straight white smile that made him poke at one of his own teeth with his tongue self consciously. The man sat up straight, as opposed to his position hunched over his journal, and shoved the book along with a pencil into an inside pocket of his duster. He fixed his glasses and eyed Victor with a look of interest.

"Your friend thought you might be interested. I am Skiis Soomwa, a professor of archaeology. My colleagues and I were investigating the claim of a miner who spotted odd ruins and markings in one of the tunnels he'd dug. Unfortunately, the markings were mostly ruined by another miner's careless use of dynamite. However, what we could interpret suggested that more ruins might exist further in the cave. My colleagues and I went deeper and I'm afraid we were rather unprepared. Several of them have lost their way and I'm in desperate need of capable escorts for my search party. Unfortunately the local authorities seem to be unavailable. We set out at daylight tomorrow, if you're interested. There will of course be compensation for your services." At the mention of his missing colleagues his smile had faltered, but it returned with the mention of compensation. "The markings led us to believe that a treasure exists in these ruins. Hence our haste in searching. You will of course receive recognition for your part in the find as well. What do you say?"

With the man looking expectantly at him and the idea of helping rescue people in danger (not to mention the prospect of treasure) Victor couldn't contemplate any other answer.

"Sure. I'd be happy to help."

"Excellent!" the man proclaimed. "I hope you have the proper provisions. If not I suggest you visit the general store. I wouldn't want to make the same mistakes as last time."

"I have everything I need in my bag," he said confidently.

"Good, good. We meet bright and early in the lobby to check supplies. Then, we head for the cave. Make sure you and your friend should get some sleep. It's going to be a long day."

"Will do. Thanks." The cave. Even with mention of dig sites and miners it hadn't occurred to him that they would be going into the cave. That thing was still in there. What if Soomwa's friends weren't just lost? It occurred to Victor that if anything that should be more reason to help. Even so, he couldn't help feeling nervous. Then again, there were all sorts of caves the miners used. Just because Dark Cave was one of the largest networks of tunnels didn't mean that was where they were going.

He shuddered at the thought of a good night's sleep. He could hear the giggles already.

Professor Soomwa did not notice Victor's distress. The moment the boy turned around Soomwa whipped out his journal and scribbled another note.

_Another eager recruit. That brings the total to four. These 'trainers' should prove quite useful. The technology they possess is intriguing to say the least, and the beasts they command should prove valuable assets. I'm sure the Masters will be pleased by my discovery, but I mustn't get ahead of myself. First we locate my colleagues, then we secure the device, then I ponder my success._

He flipped back to the first page to review his calculations and smiled. The Masters would indeed be pleased. He slipped the little book into his pocket and closed his eyes, envisioning the glorious triumph to come.


	7. Faltering Progress

The next morning Victor awoke to the buzzing of the alarm on his Pokégear and a dull thud. With sleepy eyes he noted his brother whimpering on the floor. He wasn't surprised. This was bound to happen from the moment Winn called top bunk. There was no stopping him. Even if Victor had put him to sleep on the bottom bunk of the other bed in the room he would have just climbed up once Victor was asleep. He was persistent like that, which irritated Victor. Irritation aside, it would probably be a good idea to make sure he hadn't broken anything.

"Are you okay?" Victor mumbled groggily as he kicked his blankets off.

Winn sniffled. "Uh-huh." He sat on the floor sniffling for a few more seconds, looking really pitiful. Then he did a 180, jumping up with a stupid smile on his face. "I'm invisible!"

"Invincible," Victor sighed. Winn ignored him. "I was never this insane… was I?" His question went unanswered. Winn darted around the room like nothing had happened. His backside sure could take a beating, but it was still amazing that he could come back from that with so much energy. Then again, he might have a concussion. Victor was pondering asking Nurse Joy about it when there was a knock on the door.

Victor slid out of bed and made his way to the door, nearly tripping over his energetic brother on the way. He still wasn't quite awake when he opened the door. The strange look on Alma's face failed to register in his mind. He only realized his mistake when Alma coughed and pointed down. At first he was confused. The floor didn't seem that interesting. Then he realized he was still in his boxers. The door slammed shut leaving a slightly stunned Alma to shake her head at the odd boy she'd befriended. She only had a few seconds to tap her foot impatiently before the door swung open to reveal Victor, wearing pants, looking slightly red in the face.

"Ididn'tsleepwellandIdidn'trealizebecauseWinnand-" He took a breath. "Um, I'm tired."

"Yeah, well, you'd better get some breakfast and get ready. That guy said he wanted to meet us at dawn, remember?"

Victor nodded. "We still have an hour. Plenty of time for me to get Winn fed and put my stuff together."

"Are you sure you want to bring him along?" She asked. "He seems like he might cause some problems."

Victor was a little surprised. "Plenty of trainers start at ten, right? I don't see what the problem is. I mean, sure he can be a handful, but kids his age do this kind of thing all the time. You said you started at ten."

"I wasn't like him when I was ten."

"You're telling me you weren't just a bit…" Victor struggled for a word that wasn't insane. "Excitable when you were ten?"

Alma pointed behind him. Victor turned to find that Winn had managed to tie a sheet from the bed around his neck like a cape. It was too large though, so he ended up tripping himself up in the parts that weren't streaming behind him. Victor was thinking of defending him until Winn's antics knocked a lamp off a desk. Thankfully the sheet cushioned its fall.

"It's not like I can just leave him here. I doubt the nurse would appreciate it. And I can't take him home at this point. It took us two days to get here. I'll keep him out of the way."

Alma just shrugged. "If you think you can keep him out of the way, fine. I just don't think he'll do too well in some dark cave, especially if we find some of these archaeologists in bad shape."

Victor felt a bit queasy at the implications. He couldn't help but think of that white creature again. Nonetheless he asked, "What's the worst that could happen?" The uncertainty was obvious in his voice.

Alma shrugged again. "I'm just saying cave-ins happen. It's what got them in trouble in the first place. Some of them might not have made it out as well as the guy we talked to."

"I guess I would … cover his eyes?" Victor wasn't even sure how well _he_ would handle it himself. "I really hope we don't find anyone dead." He found it difficult to even think about. He'd lost enough sleep thinking about it the night before.

"Just thinking ahead. We should be prepared for anything."

"Whatcha' talking about?" Winn asked, blanket dragging behind him as he moved beside his brother.

"Nothing!" Victor jumped, and Alma shook her head again. "We're just talking about the stuff we need to do to get ready for our rescue mission."

Winn yawned. "That sounds boring. I'm hungry."

"Well then, let's get some breakfast."

"A real one this time. I'm not eating more of those gross things from yesterday."

"You're in luck. The Pokémon Center offers complimentary breakfasts," Alma informed him.

"Then why are we still standing around talking?" Winn shoved past Victor and took off down the hall, blanket-cape trailing behind him.

Victor finally managed to get Winn to return his new cape to its proper place. It took a few minutes of talking, a few more minutes for a quick tug of war, and finally some intervention from Nurse Joy and Alma to untie the sheet and hold Winn back while it was returned to its room. Winn pouted, but seemed to forget all about it when he found a plate of bread, bacon, and berries in front of him.

As soon as Winn was focused on eating, Alma started talking strategy with Victor.

"As soon as we're done helping this guy, you're going to beat Digsby." It was more of an order than a statement.

Victor wasn't so confident. "I still need to train with Whiz a lot more before we're ready, and I don't know if he'll do enough while we search to make a difference."

"I know I said it yesterday, but you don't seem to believe me. You really weren't that bad against Digsby. You just need to put some more thought into how you want things to play out. Don't get worked up about losing. Now that you've seen how he battles you can work out how to take down each of his Pokémon. Of course, his Donphan is still a mystery to you, but you need to be able to think on your feet, too, which I think is your weak point."

Victor nearly choked on a piece of bacon, but he managed to swallow it. "Hey! I can think on my feet. I just have trouble when my opponent is way stronger than me."

"You're right, your Pokémon don't have much experience, but you can't think on your feet either. I battled you. I watched your gym battle. You have _a_ strategy, but you don't change that strategy. If you can't change your strategy you become predictable. That's part of the reason you lost."

He could feel his face getting warm. "I don't need to be reminded of why I lost."

"Yes you do. Otherwise you'll never learn from your mistakes." After a moment of silent glaring, Alma shrugged. "I get it. The cut's too new. I'll wait until it's healed a bit to start picking at the scab, but if it doesn't scar you won't have anything to show for it."

"That's stupid." Winn had finished his breakfast. "Victor didn't get cut, his wimpy Pokémon did."

"Shut up, Winn. It's a metaphor." As usual, Winn's ignorance drew Victor out from his silent fuming.

"A meta for what? What's a meta?"

"Never mind." Victor returned his attention to the remains of his french toast, although he'd lost his appetite. Alma finished off her own meal and stood.

"You can sulk a while longer. I'm going to find our scientist friend. See you later."

As she left, Victor couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. He could have handled her criticism better. She was just trying to help. He still felt insulted, but a guilty feeling was eroding his stubborn efforts to remain angry. Finally he gave up.

"Come on Winn. They'll be waiting in the lobby."

Sunlight was just beginning to shine through the Center's double doors when the boys joined the expedition team. Alma was flipping through another magazine, the man with the crooked glasses was flashing his white smile as he spoke with a dark haired woman in a duster like his, and two others stood nearby.

One was a boy who, judging from his height and his beard, was a few years older than Victor. He was a lot rounder, too. Everything he wore was huge and brown, from his big hiking boots to his pants and his coat which were covered in pockets to the belt that, by some miracle, wrapped around his waist. Even with all of the pockets, he still had a bulging backpack that was even larger than Victor's. An equally large grin was spread across his face as he watched the sun rise outside.

The other was nearly the opposite of the first, a skinny red head, hair in a ponytail, who looked a year or two older than Winn. She seemed much less well-stocked than the other new guy, carrying only a small satchel over her shoulder and tossing a Pokéball from one hand to the other. The only other things she had with her were the clothes on her back, which consisted of nothing more than running shoes, jeans, and a gray T-shirt. She didn't seem prepared at all. She didn't seem very happy either. Her lips were curled in a frown and her eyes were focused on the Pokéball going from one hand to the other, ignoring the people around her.

Soomwa had finished talking with the woman and decided to greet Victor. "Good, you're here. Your friend said you would be along shortly," he said, gesturing toward a reading Alma. "I suppose some introductions are in order. These are our other escorts. Darius Clay," he pointed to the large boy who waved when he saw Victor and Winn, "and Emily Lariv." The girl scowled.

"This is my colleague, Maria Hart." The dark haired woman stepped forward.

"Nice to meet you," she said, shaking the brothers' hands.

Soomwa turned his attention to Winn. "I didn't realize we had another trainer coming along."

"Oh yeah, this is my brother Winn. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. The more the merrier. Another set of eyes is most welcome. Well, now that introductions are out of the way we can begin." Soomwa proclaimed. He led the way out of the Center, holding the door for the rest of the group. "The cave we explored is just on the other side of town."

Maria led the five children out. Once they were outside Soomwa took the lead across the sleeping town. From what Victor could see some people didn't mind early hours. He spotted a few people sitting on their porches, and a few others walked past them hauling supplies in the opposite direction.

"They'll be heading for the stream, I suppose," Soomwa commented. Other than that offhand comment the two archaeologists were silent. The others weren't very talkative either. Emily was still tossing her Pokéball between her hands, eyes downcast. Alma was reading while she walked, navigating the uneven dirt road with surprising ease. Even Winn only yawned. Victor felt a bit lethargic himself.

It was no surprise that everyone jumped when Darius exclaimed, "What a beautiful morning!" His grin did not fade despite the glares from a few of the locals and Emily, who dropped her ball.

"I knew he wouldn't stay quiet for long," she muttered as she scooped up the Pokéball before it could roll away.

"My apologies, but I cannot contain my joy." The large boy gave Victor a slap on the backpack that managed to knock the wind out of him. "We have a wonderful day ahead of us, my friends! But I know nothing of these friends I'm about to share it with. Please, I must know, what brings us all here?"

"Why should we tell you anything?" Emily asked absently, more focused on the ball than the question. "We don't know anything about you."

Darius just laughed. "Well of course! What would you like to know?"

Emily shot him a brief glare that didn't seem to faze him. "I don't care."

Alma tucked her magazine under her arm. "Which Pokémon did you choose for a starter?" Apparently she was interested.

"Ah, yes. My oldest friend. Would you like to meet him?"

"Sure," Alma said, even as Darius pulled the top flap of his backpack open.

Soomwa watched with interest as Darius threw back the flap to reveal a round red shell with holes in it. Alma recognized it right away, but it wasn't until a yellow head popped out of one the holes that Soomwa understood.

"He likes the dark. We've been together for at least six years now, and before that he was my grandpa's," he said, smiling fondly.

"Nice. Here's my starter," Alma said with a grin of her own, reaching for one of the balls on her belt. Victor remembered her mentioning it, but the enormous Feraligatr was still stunning. It was the largest Pokémon Victor had seen in person.

The group's movement had slowed now, and Soomwa and his friend seemed impressed by the enormous blue creature. Darius let out a hardy laugh, and Emily fumbled her Pokéball, almost dropping it again.

"Cool!" Winn cried, running forward. "Can I touch it?" he asked, poking its leg.

Feraligatr looked down at Winn over its immense jaws with a cross-eyed but no less lethal glare. Because of its size it couldn't quite look directly at him. Victor decided to pull Winn back before he got himself eaten.

"Don't worry. Alli won't bite outside of battle. She's a big softy, really." The hulking lizard lumbering along beside her turned its death glare on its trainer. Alma punched her partner playfully on the side. "Lighten up!"

"Does this -fur alligator, you called her? - take part in these battles often?" Soomwa asked. His expression was a mix of awe and glee as he struggled to remain composed. Hart was little better, scribbling furiously in a journal similar to Soomwa's.

"Yeah, of course. She's my starter. I only have two with me right now, and Alli's my best." Alli stood taller with that comment, and Victor could swear the corner of her mouth twitched in a brief grin.

"Intriguing," Soomwa muttered. Victor found the line of questioning odd, but the scientist was probably flustered. Such big and powerful Pokémon weren't a common sight, even if it was a Johto starter.

"And what do you have in that ball of yours?" Soomwa asked Emily, who didn't bother looking up to answer.

"You'll see if I have to use it."

This drew a confused look from Darius, though the smile remained. "Why not introduce us now?" he asked.

"Waste of energy. I only let my Pokémon out for battles and emergencies."

Darius' smile faltered, and Victor exchanged a glance with Alma. Soomwa watched with curiosity.

"It can't be very comfortable being stuck in there for everything but battles. Why don't you give your friend a chance to stretch and get some fresh air?"

Victor felt sort of relieved. He wasn't looking forward to introducing Whiz to his new friends. First impressions were important, after all. Maybe Pyra would look better, but Alma and Winn would know he was lying.

"It's a matter-to-energy conversion. Pokémon aren't even aware when they're in a Pokéball."

"I beg to differ!"

"Hey!" Before the argument could really get going, the gruff voice of Lawrence Digsby cut in. Victor hadn't even realized they were near the Gym. Digsby was just leaving, and there was a closed sign on the door.

"Sorry if you came for a rematch, but I've got something to do. Maybe later."

"Oh. Yeah. I'm not here to battle right now," Victor muttered, embarrassed. He couldn't look the Gym Leader in the eye, instead focusing on his hat.

"These kids are helping us on a little expedition," Soomwa informed him. "Some colleagues of mine are lost in the mines. Perhaps you could help us as well?"

Digsby nodded, a solemn look replacing his usual confident half-smile. "I heard about that. You've got the locals buzzing. I'd love to help, but as I said, there's business that needs tending to. Officer Jenny hasn't been back from a recent parole meeting and I'm afraid the parolees may be responsible."

"Oh, that does sound like trouble," Soomwa said concernedly.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Emily dropped her Pokéball again, and everyone flailed to keep their balance.

"Are earthquakes common here?" Ms. Hart asked.

"Not outside the Gym," Digsby said with a grin before growing serious. "That'll be someone blasting with dynamite in the caves. Odd, since I thought Donyoku had something better; you know, high tech stuff. As long as they know what they're doing you shouldn't have to worry about cave-ins, and Donyoku is a professional. Good luck to you."

"The same to you."

With that, the Gym Leader was off, and the trainers resumed their trek to the caves. His argument with Emily apparently forgotten, Darius went on to ask his new friends what they wanted out of their journeys in Yamasan. Darius explained that he was simply exploring new territory as part of his world travels. "My family has always been keen to travel and see new places. I heard stories of beautiful faraway lands all of my childhood. I decided that I would see all that my grandfather told me about and more."

Alma's travels were more goal oriented. She was cataloging Pokémon. "I grew up in Goldenrod City, but my dad was from New Bark and he was an old friend of Professor Elm. When I turned ten, Elm offered to give me a starter and a Pokédex, and now I'm doing him a favor. I just record the Pokémon I see where I see them, and the results get sent back to New Bark. But my real goal is to beat the League challenge."

Emily was, unsurprisingly, not willing to share her own goals beyond, "Get stronger."

Soomwa and Hart listened intently to it all.

Then it was Victor's turn.

"So, what has brought you to this place?" Darius asked.

Victor had expected the question, but he still hadn't decided what to tell them. Did he say he was planning to beat the League, which was partially true, or did he explain about his sister and his goal to beat her and bring her home? Just as he decided, Winn butted in.

"I'm gonna be the greatest! I almost got stuck at home until I was old like Victor, but I followed him with my super stealthiness and now I'm on my way to the top!" he declared.

"You don't even have a Pokémon," Victor pointed out, peeved by the interruption, but sort of grateful for the delay. He had always been a procrastinator, and the personal nature of his goal only added to that effect. Not to mention that if Winn found out this involved Victoria he would never leave. But was it worth it to keep up the lie?

"Yeah I do!" Winn said, pouting. "You just stole her."

Victor rolled his eyes. "You took Pyra without dad's permission in the first place, and you don't have a license anyway."

Winn stuck his tongue out at his big brother. "That doesn't matter. I'm still gonna be the best trainer ever."

"Fine. I give up," Victor groaned. The others only smiled, with the exception of Emily.

"Well, your aspirations are certainly admirable," Soomwa said. "And what about you, Victor?"

Victor shrugged. "Nothing special." It would be safer to stick with the lie. He would only confuse himself telling different stories. "I just want to beat the Gyms, maybe try for the Elite Four."

"And what Pokémon will you be challenging them with?" Darius asked.

"Um..."

"Here we are!" Soomwa's timely interruption brought everyone's attention to the cave in front of them. Victor hadn't realized that they had reached the edge of town. The houses cut off abruptly where a wooden sign marked "Donyoku Property - Trespassers Will Be Fined" was mounted on a fence. As the trainers read the sign, Soomwa assured them, "Mr. Donyoku is aware of our presence here. In fact, it was with his permission that we first entered the cave with our colleagues."

"In other words, no need to worry about any fines," Hart put in.

With assurances out of the way Soomwa and Hart led the search party into the cave. Victor paused for a moment at the cave mouth. It was a wide opening, but if it was anything like Dark Cave it might narrow further in. There could be any number of tunnels branching out from this one, countless dark spaces for that white thing to hide in.

"You coming?" Alma asked. The others hadn't noticed his hesitation. Even Winn was already moving forward.

He nodded and followed them despite the part of his mind that screamed out against it. If he couldn't face this fear, how could he ever face his sister?

"Sorry. Just... thinking."

"Thinking about what?" she asked as they caught up with the others. Wooden supports like archways were built every few feet, and electric lights strung from the ceiling lit the craggy path. Victor was somewhat relieved to see that the miners did not share Professor Lime's qualms about lighting the caves they explored, but at the same time he felt a pang of concern for the Pokémon in the area.

"Well," Victor began nervously, "Remember that thing I told you about?"

She seemed to ponder it for a moment before responding. "You'll have to elaborate."

Victor grimaced, his mistake obvious, and said, "Sorry. That thing I mentioned when we first met, the weird white Pokémon that came from Dark Cave. It attacked the local professor, but his assistant's Machoke beat it."

Alma nodded. "Sounds familiar. What about it?"

"What if it's here? It might attack us." Victor said, barely managing to keep his words separated.

Alma laughed. "That's what we're here for, remember? To protect these archaeologists from wild Pokémon while they find their friends."

"I know that!" Victor snapped, insulted. Alma didn't understand. "But this thing was really strong."

"So is Alli," Alma said dismissively. "She can take care of anything that comes our way.

"It almost killed Sierra's Machoke, and he's the strongest Pokémon I've ever known." Victor was struggling to keep his words distinct at this point.

Alma sighed. "Look, Alli can take care of anything that comes our way. You don't need to worry about this Pokémon that attacked you."

"It is reasonable to worry," said Darius. At this point the others had overheard the conversation. It was hard not to with Victor shouting. "I have heard many stories from my grandfather of truly terrifying Pokémon, and it is said that many strong Pokémon inhabit this region. What was the Pokémon that attacked you?"

"That'stheworstpart," Victor replied, fears renewed.

"What?" Darius hadn't understood.

"The worst part is that we had no clue what it was. It was tall and white with huge black eyes, and there were these weird tubes where its mouth should've been. I think something was wrong with its breathing, because each breath sounded strangled. It was really creepy."

Hart gasped. Soomwa coughed and shot a glare at his assistant, but their escorts were distracted. Emily gave them an odd glance, but she was more interested in Victor's story.

"And you saw it fight?" Winn asked.

"It was vicious. Machoke would've been a goner if my mom hadn't packed some revives for me."

"Cool!" Winn was ignorant as usual, and Victor's fear was replaced by irritation.

"No Winn. It's not cool. If Machoke hadn't cross chopped those things on its face it could have won, and then... I might not be here."

The 'archaeologists' shared a nervous glance that Victor interpreted as concern for his safety. "This thing," Soomwa asked, "Was it humanoid? Bipedal, no tail, approximately six feet in height?"

Victor thought for a moment before responding. "Yeah, I think. How'd you know?"

"Oh, I believe there was an engraving in the ruins that matched the description. We'll have to be on the lookout. It seems dangerous."

"You're all worried about nothing. Alli can take this mystery Pokémon, no sweat." Alma grinned. "And not just because she can't sweat."

"It seems we may have quite a challenge ahead of us. What a grand story I will tell when we are done!" Darius' booming laughter echoed off the cave walls.

Contrary to Victor's earlier worries about the path getting too narrow, the tunnel seemed to be widening out. Eventually they reached a point at which the tunnel became a room. Light bulbs were still strung along some of the walls, but there were too few to light the entire cavern, leaving a dark patch further in.

"Ah! This looks familiar," Soomwa said. Ms. Hart produced a lantern and struck a match, mumbling something about primitive methods.

"Which way do we go?" asked Alma, who had taken note of a ladder protruding from a hole in the ground and a smooth ramp carved along one wall. Neither was the path they would take.

"We go straight ahead," Soomwa said as he took the lantern. "I distinctly recall traveling along a flat path. We stay on level ground."

The trainers followed Soomwa and Hart into the unlit part of the cave. The back wall had another archway carved into it, and Soomwa smiled triumphantly. This section of the cave was another tunnel, but there were no lights in this one. Soomwa said, "Watch your step," but Winn still managed to trip over one of the metal rails on the floor.

Sniffling, he refused Victor's help and got to his feet on his own. The rail he had tripped over was parallel to another, and both disappeared in the dark reaches of the tunnel.

"This must be for mine carts," Soomwa informed them. "Gold is quite heavy, you know."

"My grandfather once rode in one of those, chased by bandits through an abandoned mine. It was quite the tale," said Darius, smiling fondly.

"I don't see any cart," Winn mumbled, sounding more than a little disappointed.

"We wouldn't be riding in any mine carts anyway, children," Soomwa chastised. Winn stuck out his tongue, but he paid him no attention. "Do not forget why we're here. We need to find our colleagues and locate the ruins. Let's keep moving."

It was only a few moments into their walk through the tunnel that Alma stopped to inspect a glimmer in the cave wall. Soomwa was, at first, annoyed with how easily his escorts were distracted, but when he saw the reason he stopped too.

"Wow. I heard these caves were full of gold, but I've never seen it outside one of Silph's stores."

Veins of the yellow rock glittered in the lantern light. Winn was just as impressed as Alma, even though he and Victor had seen some of the gold Sierra still had. Darius started on some story about his grandfather describing a vein just like this. Ms. Hart sighed at the sight, partially because it was beautiful, but mostly because she knew Skiis was no doubt considering only how useful it might be to some future project. Soomwa, of course, was doing exactly that. Gold could be used for many things, after all, from microchips to funding.

While most of the group hung back to stare at the shimmering gold, Emily followed the vein to the edge of the light's range.

"There's more this way," she shouted, not letting any excitement slip into her voice.

The others came to see, and they found that the further they went the more gold snaked through the walls. They followed the gold through the tunnel for a while, marveling at it, until they came to a fork and the tunnel became two tunnels. A large lever connected to a switch where the rails branched off.

The left track sloped up and the right one went down.

"So, which way did you come from?" Alma asked Soomwa, who was frozen at the fork. He looked to Ms. Hart for assistance, but she was at a loss as well.

"Well," he began, "I can't quite recall the direction. However, I do recall flat terrain, and the path to the left seems to be-"

A scream ripped through the tunnel, interrupting Soomwa's struggle to determine the proper path.

"That came from the tunnel on the right," Ms. Hart said worriedly. The group rushed into the tunnel toward the source of the scream, some more eager than others.

While Alma already had Alli charging forward on all fours and Darius' Shuckle had its head poking out of his backpack, Victor, who had already been on edge, was lagging behind. His thoughts had gone straight to the attack by that white thing when he heard the scream. He knew he should be rushing ahead to help, but it took all his courage not to turn and run away. He knew he had to do this, but he really didn't want to face that monster.

"Come on Slowbro!" Winn shouted over his shoulder. He was lagging, too, but it was only because he couldn't run as fast as the others.

It occurred to Victor that his brother was only brave because he was ignorant, but he was brave nonetheless. If ten years old Winn was brave enough to do this, his big brother had to be brave too, if only to keep Winn safe. With this in mind, Victor picked up the pace. He could do this.

The trainers and their employers ran down the tunnel for a few minutes while screams bounced off the rocks around them. Finally, they came to the end of the tunnel and another large room. Unlike the first one, there was no lighting, but in the lantern light gold sparkled from the walls. Alli, who was faster on all fours, had arrived ahead of the others. The fact that she was currently wrestling a large blue thing was somewhat of a relief to Victor, but at the same time he felt a bit disappointed that he could not yet do away with his fear.

The scream brought everyone's attention to one corner of the room, except Alma who was shouting directions to her Pokémon. Soomwa moved the lantern to shine in that direction rather than on the battle. What the trainers saw was an odd sight. There was a man huddled in the corner with his hands over his head. He was wearing a white coat that Victor recognized as something Professor Lime or Sierra would wear. The lab coat was torn and stained red with blood in some places and brown with dirt in others.

"Dennis, you look like hell!" Soomwa exclaimed. His cheerful facade had yet to return since his gold induced stupor.

He screamed again before turning to face them. His face was pale and his eyes were wide with fear. "Professor?" his mouth twitched into a smile for a moment before he cringed in pain. "Thank God you're here! What happened? One moment Mar Lan is-"

"Calm down, Dennis," Soomwa interrupted. "I'll explain things later. Right now we need to know where you're hurt."

Ms. Hart handed Soomwa a first aid kit, and the man, Dennis, looked confused for a moment before noticing the people surrounding him.

"Who are they?"

"These are some people we've hired to get us safely to the ruins we're studying."

Dennis cocked an eyebrow. "Ruins?"

"Yes, Dennis. Remember the markings we found? 'Mar Lan sabo tage.' 'The solution lies deep within.'"

Understanding dawned on the injured scientist, and the children were none the wiser. "Of course. So we are-"

"Lost, yes." Soomwa would bother with details when he could find some time to talk away from the children. "You are the first we have found. That cave-in must have been quite disorienting."

Dennis nodded and winced, clutching at his side where the red stain seemed thickest. Soomwa removed some gauze from the first aid kit along with disinfectant and got to work.

"What can you remember?" he asked as he set about tending the wound: two punctures that were bleeding at a steady rate.  
"I've been wandering around in the dark for days. You have water, yes? I've been so thirsty."

Victor was about to search his pack when Ms. Hart pulled a bottle from her coat. Victor wondered if she had as many pockets as Darius in there.  
Dennis gulped the water in seconds.

"As I said, it's felt like days, and nothing much happened until something attacked me."

The trainers turned their attention to Alli's battle, which was just ending. A gout of water slammed into a giant blue bat, throwing it to the ground unconscious. Alli and Alma stood triumphant over it. A moment later it was gone, sucked into a Pokéball on Alma's belt.

"That Golbat put up a good fight," she remarked.

"Reminds me of a story-" Darius began only to be cut off by a frantic "what the hell is that?" from the latest addition to the group. While Alma assured him that her Feraligatr was harmless, Soomwa muttered in his ear, "I'll explain later." For everyone to hear, he said, "Dennis, do you think you can lead us back the way you came? Our other colleagues are still lost somewhere in these tunnels."

"It was pitch black," he replied, "But I suppose I came in that way." He pointed to an opening opposite the tunnel his rescuers had come from.

"Well then, let's get moving," Soomwa said, securing the gauze and patting the pale man on the back.

"Wait!" Dennis grabbed Soomwa's sleeve. "I don't want to go back in there."

"The only way to get where we want to go is through here. If you would rather stay here. Alone. In the dark."

"Yes, sir. Of course. Sorry." Dennis rose shakily to his feet.

This area was different from the others they had passed through. Aside from the entrance to the chamber, which was supported by a wooden archway like the first tunnel, there were no signs of human development. The rails in the ground ended before the entrance, there were no lights on the ceiling, and the walls were more curved and natural. A few stalagmites stood out in the lantern light, which meant there were stalactites somewhere on the ceiling, though they were hidden in darkness. There was little gold visible in the walls. Clearly the miners had not begun work in this area yet.

Dennis led them in. "There's something I should mention." Before he could say more-

"What's that smell?" Ms. Hart asked. The stench hit Victor before he entered the natural cave. If the looks on the others' faces were any indication, they smelled it too.

"That's what I wanted to mention. I've spent at least a few hours with this odor in the air."

"But what is it?" whined Hart.

"If I had to guess-" As soon as Soomwa stepped into the tunnel something soft squished beneath his boots. His expression soured. "Guano."

"What-o?"

"Bat dung," Dennis explained. "No need to get technical. I didn't realize it before, but it makes perfect sense now that I know what attacked me." His voice suddenly became a whisper. "If the coating they gave the floor is any indication, there could be dozens of them." Dennis looked up to the ceiling, which remained dark until Soomwa brought the lantern up to brighten the darkness. Dennis was correct.

Blue masses of various sizes were huddled on the ceiling, bodies cocooned in wings. A few stirred in their slumber, but none seemed to notice the light. Soomwa slowly lowered the light, leaving the Zubat and Golbat in darkness above them.

His voice was barely audible as he cautioned the others. "I suggest we proceed with caution. We don't want to waste time and energy fighting through all of these."

The children nodded, and they all headed into the cave. Their progress was accompanied by the soft squelch of the blue creatures' waste. Alma offered to have Alli wash it away, but Soomwa and the other adults wanted to make as little noise as possible. As a result the hulking lizard went back in her ball. Victor was the first to discover that it made the ground slippery. He flailed his arms as he lost his footing, and he would have fallen if not for the steadying hands of Alma and Darius. It occurred to him that Dennis had walked through the stuff in the pitch black, and some of the stains on his coat didn't look like mud.

After Victor's near fall, nothing eventful happened for a while. No one was in the mood for conversation with the stench assaulting their senses, the source of which they were wading through. Besides that, the archaeologists seemed convinced that the bats would awaken with the slightest provocation despite the fact that they'd slept through Alma's battle.

The near silence was shattered with a wet plop and a drawn out, "Groooss!" as one of the sleeping forms overhead relieved itself on Winn. Soomwa surprised his escorts as he nimbly dashed to clamp a hand over Winn's mouth. With his free hand he bathed the ceiling in lantern light, and sighed with relief when there was no movement. Then he turned the lantern's glare on Winn with a stern glare of his own. "Stay quiet!" he hissed.

Winn pushed the hand away. "But it's in my hair!" He wailed, only to have Soomwa clamp his hand over his mouth again.

"You'll have far worse to worry about if those bats wake up."

"Sorry!"

"Be quiet!" He grabbed Winn by the collar. Victor was about to defend his brother, but Alma beat him to it.

"Calm down!" she shouted to Soomwa's dismay.

"What don't you understand about being quiet?" Ms. Hart hissed testily. "You're going to wake them up!"

"We haven't woken them up yet," Alma argued without lowering her voice. "You're just being paranoid. Even if they do wake up we can handle it. That's why you hired us, isn't it? Now, if you still want our help, let go of the kid."

With an angry glance at the ceiling Soomwa released Winn's shirt. "You have a point," he admitted. "I... apologize. I'm not usually so quick to anger."

Dennis muttered something under his breath, but an elbow from Ms. Hart silenced him.

"You are right. We hired you to protect us, and if you say they won't wake up who am I to argue. Shall we continue?"

As if in answer to his question the ground lurched beneath their feet. Everyone stumbled, but no one lost their balance entirely.

"Was that another explosion?" Darius asked, finding his voice before the others. A few shrugs were the only answers he received. Soomwa looked like he was about to say something, but there was another sudden jerk beneath their feet and then a constant tremble that grew gradually more violent. Soomwa's lantern scattered shadow and light all around them.

"Do something!" Dennis screamed.

"We can't fight an earthquake!" Alma shouted back over the earth's roaring.

"Not about that! Do something about them!"

Soomwa grabbed hold of a stalagmite, ignoring the wet substance coating it, and directed the jittery light upward to illuminate the blue bats shaking awake overhead. A particularly large Golbat unfurled its wings and swooped down just as Soomwa lost his grip and the lantern smashed on the ground, plunging the cave into darkness.


	8. Playing Catchup Part 1

**Earlier:**

The sunshine peaked over the mountains, just enough to cast a light glow on the trees. Pidgey and Spearow chirped in the trees, announcing another new dawn. Among those enjoying the serenity of this morning was a certain Bellsprout resting in the grass in the shade of an outcropping. He was quite proud of himself having outfoxed a trainer's Vulpix and a Fearow just the other day. The latter achievement had been the most satisfying, since the bird brain had been trying to eat him for as long as he could remember. In their latest encounter the brute had nearly succeeded, swooping down and grabbing Bellsprout just as he was escaping the trainer's Vulpix. It looked like Fearow was about to enjoy some salad when he got a mouthful of acid instead. The long fall that followed wasn't pleasant, but it was preferable to being eaten. It would take the Fearow some time to find him again, and Bellsprout was looking forward to some relaxation. This would be his lucky day, he thought.

Unfortunately for Bellsprout, the serenity of this morning was about to be shattered for everyone within a sizable radius. A massive boom sent a jolt of panic through the forest. Birds took off from their perches on suddenly unsteady branches, Rattata and Nidoran scurried away as the ground shook beneath their feet, and Geodude and their kin tumbled down the mountain. It was this last group that made trouble for Bellsprout, as one of the living boulders crashed into the outcropping above him. The yellow plant had barely dodged the falling rock when he was assaulted by a hail of fleeing Geodude and Graveler tumbling down the mountainside. This day wasn't going to be as relaxing as he'd hoped.

In a vaguely similar situation, Tret Xu covered his eyes with his arm as rubble flew out from the blast site. When the stones stopped flying he picked himself up off the ground and breathed a sigh of relief, only to choke on the powdered rock that had yet to settle. His sigh/cough was met with laugh/coughs from Thane and Zane somewhere nearby. Their light had gone out when the dynamite detonated, and the last thing he'd seen was the flash of an explosion a bit too close for comfort. The blast must have been contained somehow, though, because Xu felt none of the heat he expected to. Their technology was impressive, but if their technique was any indication the miner brothers were far from professional.

"You said you had a path into the cave, not that you could make one," Xu complained once his airways were clear. "I don't want the whole mountain coming down on my head."

"Oh, we got a path, don't we Zane?" said Thane from somewhere to his right.

"Sure do, Thane. Pappy's Mine just gets blocked up every once 'er twice." Zane replied from further ahead.

"Are explosives really necessary in such close quarters? Don't you have pickaxes and sledgehammers or something to smash the rocks without begging for a cave-in?"

The brothers looked to each other before realizing they could not see, then shook their heads. "Nope," they said together.

"Then how do you dig out the gold you find?" Xu asked incredulously.

"If it don't survive the explosion, it ain't worth our time," Zane explained.

Xu wasn't shocked at this point. He simply nodded and said, "Of course." He didn't have the energy to argue with these idiots. He'd already wasted most of his patience convincing them that he wasn't going to kill them (as long as they followed orders), and the rest had been spent traversing the forest with the bantering brothers and a tattered, upside down map which they refused to interpret until Xu reminded them that he could easily do to them what he'd done to Officer Jenny. Then there was the matter of his gun, not that he would be wasting a shot on them.

Even with that looming threat, they were still either too stupid to cooperate entirely or brave enough to give him trouble. It was hard to tell if they were pretending to be confused by a map they must have used for years, or if they were really just that pathetic. Both scenarios could prove difficult, but either way, Xu could handle them. He'd dealt with far braver and stupider people.

"Speakin' of what ain't worth our time," Thane said, "what are we getting' outta' this again?"

"You mean aside from your lives and the satisfaction of helping a wayward traveler?" Xu asked, patting one of the shock grenades on his belt before realizing the gesture was lost in the dark. "What more could you possibly want?"

"Well," Zane paused. The sound of him scratching at his scraggly goatee was audible in the silence. "We was thinkin' 'bout how you want us to help you find somethin' and how when we find it we ought to get a share."

"It's only fair," Thane put in.

Xu's greatest regret at that moment was that he hadn't managed to get a single man on the Project Transcendence team. His employees were loyal and competent. They knew how to get a job done without asking questions. They knew they would get the pay they earned. If he had just one of his best with him, he had no doubt he would be home. Perhaps if he had one of his men with him when Mar Lan escaped he wouldn't even be wandering around in the dark in some God forsaken cave. She would have been subdued, and the test would have proceeded as planned.

Thoughts of Mar Lan quickly turned Xu's thoughts back to his fears. She could be following him. For all he knew she was sneaking up behind him right then and there. He was at once fearful of the darkness and thankful for it. While it hid potential threats, he could tell that his face had gone pale, and it wouldn't do to show any signs of weakness in front of his reluctant lackeys. The _clack_ of rocks knocking against each other echoed off the surrounding walls, the sound of feet moving through the rubble. Xu's hands darted to his gun and a zap grenade, arming it so that it cast a faint blue glow a few inches in front of his face.

"One of you get a light on now!" Xu demanded, trying and failing to keep his growing anxiety hidden from his voice. He could see nothing beyond his own hands, and he had to fight the urge to start firing randomly into the dark.

"Easy suit man," said Zane, oblivious to the panic in Xu's voice. "We just got to dig Reliable up and give 'im a revive is all. Won't take much longer."

A spark of yellow lit the cave for a moment, revealing Thane and Zane rummaging through the debris they'd created. Xu tried to turn around to see if anyone was behind him, but the light faded too quickly and he was left staring into darkness again. Realizing that the blue glow of the zap grenade made him visible to potential attackers he disarmed it, plunging the cave back into total darkness.

"Got 'im!" Zane shouted.

"Give 'im here," Thane ordered. "I got a revive."

"Where are ya'? I can't see."

"Well, tell Reliable to use flash!"

"Oh yeah." Zane chuckled. "Reliable, use flash!" Nothing happened. Xu could imagine the gears slowly turning in their thick skulls. "Well, shoot! We gotta give 'im a revive first, Thane."Reply to:

"I know that. I ain't no idjot, ya' idjot!"

"Well how's we s'posed to get 'im to do somethin' when he's still sleepin'?"

"Just toss 'im here and I'll revive 'im."

"Where do I toss 'im?"

"Toss 'im toward my voice!"

"You got it."

A loud _thunk_ and an "Ow!" from Thane brought a brief smirk to Xu's face, though it was quickly erased by his urgent desire, no, _need_ for light. He was only further agitated when the next thing out of Thane's mouth was, "Uh oh."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Xu demanded.

"Oh, I just dropped ol' Reliable is all. I can find 'im."

"For the love of-" Something bumped against Xu's foot. Cautiously, he crouched down to pick it up. His first attempt was met with a shock and another yellow spark. While he cursed under his breath, Thane and Zane turned to look toward the spark and bashed their heads together. Both howled in pain while Xu returned his grenade to his belt and reached into his pocket for one of the gloves he used when a grenade malfunctioned. The rubber insulation was just what he needed to pick up the idiot brothers' primer. There was another spark, but no shock as he grabbed the thing a second time.

"Get over here you morons," he snarled. There was more clacking of rocks as the two shuffled their way over to Xu. "Where's this revive you two keep yapping about?"

"He's gotta get it out the pocket first," Zane said.

"I got it right here," Thane patted his trousers pocket.

"Give it here." When there was no immediate response, Xu added, "Now."

There was a grunt, some rummaging about in his pocket, and then a clenched fist was thrust in Xu's face. He had a feeling it was only Thane's height that was keeping his nose intact. The fist unclenched and a large yellow, though not gold, stone fell into Xu's waiting palm. He was confused.

"How's this work?" His question was met with a brief silence and then a few guffaws from Thane. Zane joined in, too, though he didn't seem to know why. This was confirmed when he turned to his brother.

"What're we laughin' at again?"

"He don't know how to use a revive," explained a still chuckling Thane.

"Well, shoot! I thought I was an idjot," Zane laughed.

Xu could feel his face flushing with rage. His thumb brushed the safety switch, but he had already decided not to shoot them. Instead he swung the weapon at their sore heads. First he hit Thane, who let out a low "Oof!" Then he turned to Zane, who was too dimwitted to realize danger was heading his way. As he clenched his other hand a bright light flashed between his fingers.

"Now you two are gonna tell me how this works or so help me-"

"It already done worked you crazy son of a mother! Look!" Thane was the first to recover. "Flash, Reliable." The cave was suddenly bathed in light as it was before the explosion. Even shielded by his fingers, the light shone brightly. Their tech truly was impressive. They must have stolen it from someone, maybe that Donyoku they kept mentioning.

"Why'd you go and do a thing like that?" asked a recovering Zane.

"Let's get this one thing straight here," Xu said. "I'm the man with the gun. That means you do what I say when I say it, and you don't laugh in my face unless you want a good beating, understood?"

Before either brother could make a witless remark there was another shift in the rubble and a deep rumble bounced around the cave. The three men turned their attention to the newly cleared path. Xu raised an eyebrow at the sight. He'd seen plenty of strange animals in his life, but nothing quite like this. A large gray creature with rocklike armor-plated skin and a menacing horn was standing in their path. The thing almost looked like a small rhino except for its fangs and the ridge on its back. It snorted and scraped the ground with one of its forelimbs.

Without taking his eyes off of the hostile looking creature, Xu whispered to the brothers, "What is that?"

Zane looked about to burst into laughter again, but Thane shushed him. There was still a slight mocking tone when he said, "You don't recognize a Rhyhorn when you see one? This'un was probably startled by the flash."

Or the massive explosion, Xu thought.

"They ain't too bright." Zane put in. "I bet he don't even remember why he's angry."

"They don't see too good neither, so long as we ain't movin' we're safe."

Xu did not feel comforted in the slightest by the brothers' assurances. The Rhyhorn was looking him straight in the eye, and Xu had seen that look in the eyes of other animals before. This one was glaring death at him. They must have invaded its territory, and it was ready to defend its home to the death. The only way out of this encounter would be to disable it or kill it. Realizing as much, Xu reached slowly for one of his grenades and flicked the safety to its off position.

Unfortunately, even that slight movement was enough to set off the agitated animal. The Rhyhorn charged, and the three men scattered like the pebbles knocked about by its feet, diving frantically to avoid being crushed or impaled. Xu skidded across the uneven cave floor dirtying his suit and, more importantly, dropping the primer and his gun. Thane lay nearby, struggling to his feet. Zane was across the cave doing the same. The Rhyhorn slammed into the opposite wall, sending a cascade of dust and some unnervingly large rocks from the ceiling.

Xu got to his feet and armed the zap grenade while the Rhyhorn struggled to remove itself from the wall, its horn slowly emerging from the hole it had made in the solid stone. Xu lobbed the grenade at the creature's feet and was pleased when it let out a startled roar as it was engulfed in a net of electricity. His pleasure soon faded as the Rhyhorn's initial shock left it and it continued to remove itself from the wall despite the immobilizing field of energy. Xu stood dumbfounded for a moment before Thane brought him to his senses.

"You idjot! 'Lectric attacks ain't gonna do nothin' to a ground type." While Xu puzzled over what the hillbilly meant, Thane scooped up Reliable and chucked it at the rock beast as it finally removed itself from the wall. "Explosion!"

To Xu's horror, the red and white primer was engulfed in the same white light that had come from the previous explosion, only this time there was no barrier of rock or even distance between him and the blast. The ground shook and more debris fell from above. How the primer on its own was capable of such a blast didn't concern Xu. All that mattered was imminent death. He was going to die, not because of a vengeful woman or some vicious rock monster, but because of some amateur miner's stupidity. When the light faded Xu was surprised to find himself still alive, and in one piece at that. Thane let out a triumphant shout, which Zane was quick to join. Xu was still far too confused to celebrate.

"What just happened?" He asked dumbly. He immediately regretted the question.

"Wanna know what that was? That was us savin' your sorry behind, suit man!" Zane shouted as he stumbled through the dark toward the Rhyhorn's position, lit by the faltering blue sparks of the zap grenade which _had_ been damaged by the explosion. "We're gonna need another revive here, Thane."

Thane pushed past Xu to meet his brother by the fallen Rhyhorn. "Got 'em right here."

While the brothers were celebrating, Xu collected his thoughts, as well as his gun, and brushed some of the dirt from his suit. They were none too bright and difficult to deal with, but Thane and Zane were certainly proving useful. With his prized weapon useless against the stone juggernaut, he was sure it would have killed him eventually. He had to let that thought sink in for a moment. Without their unorthodox assistance and, though it surprised him to think it, knowledge he would be dead. Still, he had to maintain some semblance of superiority. That was where their stupidity would come into play.

"Say Thane," said Zane, "I think we ought to capture this here Rhyhorn. All we got back home is Voltorb, an' they're only useful when we blow 'em up."

"I been thinkin' the same thing, Zane. I heard they can ram through just 'bout anything," Thane said, thoughtfully scratching at his beard. "An' we could save a lot of revives if'n we aren't usin' 'em all the time."

"Granpappy always said great minds think alike!" Zane said, tossing a red and white ball similar to the primer at the Rhyhorn. It didn't explode, though. In fact, it just bounced off the rocky hide and landed at Zane's feet. He and his brother stared at it for some time before Thane spoke up.

"Course, we'll have to revive it first. Them Pokéballs don't work unless they got some strength in 'em."

"Oh yeah. Course."

Great minds think alike, and so do idiots. That's what Xu thought as the brothers gave life back to the creature they had just blown up. The yellow stone had barely touched it when its eyes snapped open. It knocked Thane and Zane aside as it stood and shook rubble from its back and head. With them out of its way it locked eyes with Xu in the dim light and charged. With the gun in his hand and the safety off there was only one logical next step. Xu took aim and fired, a red burst of light launching from the gun to the Rhyhorn's face in the blink of an eye. It roared in pain and crashed to the ground. A red hot line bled molten rock down the right side of its face. Its eye on that side was clenched shut in pain, but the other eye glared with hatred at Xu. He returned it with a cool gaze, although he was quite surprised. It was not a good sort of surprise. His weapon had been at its highest setting, and yet, while it had been enough to incapacitate, it had only left a flesh wound. The creatures of this world were not to be underestimated. That was more than he could say for its people.

"Well that was something," Thane said, reviving Reliable and returning light to the cave.

"Whoa-ho!" Zane got to his feet and chucked the red and white ball at the Rhyhorn again. This time the ball split along the line separating its colors and emitted a red beam of light. Xu was shocked when the creature disappeared.

"Where-"

"We caught us a Rhyhorn, Thane!" Zane shouted triumphantly, gripping the Pokéball tightly and holding it up with pride. It shook for a moment before finally becoming still.

Xu put two and two together. He got four. Somehow the massive Rhyhorn had been crammed into that tiny ball. Soomwa would probably suggest something about teleporters or mind over matter… or something. Xu didn't know what to make of it. He wasn't a scientist. Whatever the case, their technology was truly impressive.

"So that's how a gun works, huh?" Zane remarked.

This confused Xu. "What do you mean? You've got a shotgun."

The brothers exchanged a glance. Zane's eyes begged for mercy. Thane elbowed Zane hard in the ribs.

"You never used your shotgun? Explain yourselves," Xu demanded, leveling his weapon at them. He only had one good shot left, and he wouldn't use it on them, but they didn't need to know either of those things.

Thane sighed. "That ol' thing's just a relic pappy had from the war. We use it to keep trainers and suits off our land. It don't do nothin' but scare 'em."

Pushing past his many questions about this strange place, Xu said to the two miners, "Well, you just remember what I can do with this thing. Now let's get a move on, and remember who's in charge."

They nodded, looking both fearful and impressed. Xu had a feeling he could look forward to a bit more cooperation in the near future.

"Right this way," said Thane, pulling the map from his pocket and stepping through the hole they'd opened.

As the brothers led and lit the way ahead, Xu paused to take note of a small alcove dug into the tunnel. Two more of the creatures, one much smaller than the other, lay still within, half buried in chunks of fallen rock. Xu smirked. No wonder the thing was so angry. It gave Xu a sense of comfort to know that even with their power, their lives were still as fragile as any other animal's. After all, if something as strong as a Rhyhorn could be killed, he would have no trouble dealing with Lan when she showed up. With a quick glance over his shoulder to satisfy his paranoia, Xu followed Thane and Zane deeper into the cave. He was one step closer to home.


	9. Playing Catchup Part 2

**Even earlier:**

"You okay back there?"

"Fine."

Mari and Reginald had followed them on the back of Reginald's Stantler, keeping at a distance to avoid detection. They followed them all day, and all the while Reginald could see Mari growing more and more distraught. He knew this was something personal for her, but didn't feel the need to dig deeper. If she wanted to share she would. He wasn't an overly curious person. He would only pry into someone else's business if they were hurting themselves or if they were up to no good. Mari was upset, but she wasn't hurting herself, not yet anyway. If her secrets became too much for her, he would gladly relieve her of them. Until the need arose he wouldn't worry. It would all balance out in the end.

It turned out that the trucks weren't headed for Boomtown. They stopped a few miles outside of the settlement and, after a few minutes, took a path around the town that led to another forested area, which led to another clumsy refitting of the lead truck. About half the day later and without warning, the trucks turned around and carved a path parallel to the one they'd made heading in. Suddenly there were a yellow hunk of metal and a pair of whirring blades coming at them. Quick action on Stantler's part saved her and her passengers from being cut down as the big machines sped by. Loud cursing could be heard over the roaring trucks as they passed. The passengers' voices were a chaotic mixture of every foul word Reginald had ever heard, and several that were unfamiliar.

At first he worried that they had been discovered, but the trucks made no other attempt to turn around again. Shocked by the near death experience, but no more deterred than he had been by the man in purple's threats, Reginald ordered his Stantler to keep following the trucks. His new companion handled the whole thing with surprising calm.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I told you I'm fine."

She might be new, but she was certainly determined. That was an important quality for a trainer. It could also be a flaw. He could only hope that she would know when determination became stubborn futility. Again, only time would tell. At that moment, the important thing was putting a stop to whatever shady business these people were up to.

By the time they finally stopped it was dark and the stars were coming out. The trucks stopped abruptly in a dry area covered in dusty earth and sparse patches of yellowing grass near the mountain that loomed over Boomtown, and Reginald felt comfortable enough under cover of darkness to get closer. The headlights of the two black trucks shone on Donyoku's men moving parts to and from the yellow truck. With the only light in the area focused there, Reginald decided it was safe to move in.

"I'm going to sneak over there and see what they're up to. You should stay back here," he whispered to Mari. "This could get dangerous." That was a mistake. Even in the faint light he could see her face turn red. He should have expected this reaction. He knew it was personal, after all. He just wanted to keep the kid safe, but she was taking it the wrong way.

"You think I'm not experienced enough? I can handle anything you can." The redness faded from her complexion as she delivered an insult. "After all, I won our battle this morning," she said smugly.

Now it was Reginald's turn to fume. He knew he had to keep his pride in check. He'd lost more than one friend to arrogance already. Still, she won that battle in no small part due to the advantages he'd given her, not to mention the distraction at the end, and now she was going to rub it in his face despite the fact that he had helped her once and was helping her now. Maybe he shouldn't have given her the ego boost.

Calm neutralizes anger, he knew. He had to be the better man. Despite knowing this, it had been a long day, he was tired, and the bruise to his ego was too much. He couldn't hold back his retort. It was as if he were watching another person's actions, hearing another's words. "You didn't exactly make a good impression when I found you being harassed by that guard yesterday."

He regretted it immediately. The red returned to her cheeks, her eyes narrowed, and nostrils flared. He knew a tantrum coming on when he saw one. In desperation he held up his hands in an offer of surrender, a plea for calm, but it was no use.

"What do _you_ know?" she shrieked.

"Not so loud," Reginald whispered, to no effect.

"I hate you! I don't need you!" She started to stomp toward the trucks, but Reginald grabbed her by the shoulder. "Let me go!" she demanded, but Reginald held tight.

"Shh! Listen." Apparently the edge in his voice was enough to give her pause for at least a second, long enough to hear voices nearby.

"Check it out," the man in purple was saying. Even in her fit, Mari understood what that meant. Reginald put a finger to his lips and she stayed silent. She shoved his hand from her shoulder and refused to look him in the eye, but at least she was cooperating.

Even with the backlight from the trucks, Reginald could barely make out the silhouette of the guard approaching them. This was a good thing, because it meant that the guard definitely couldn't see them crouched in the dark. It was odd that the guard didn't think to use anything to light the way. Reginald knew how to deal with this. It was a good thing he hadn't returned Stantler. Obviously challenging this guard to a battle would alert the others of their presence. Luckily Stantler was equipped to take out an enemy silently.

The guard moved slowly toward them, glancing from left to right with unfocused eyes. Then, without even realizing it the guard locked their gaze on her antlers. Reginald didn't even need to give the order. Stantler used hypnosis on instinct and, after a few seconds of heavy lidded teetering, the guard collapsed. Reginald turned to give Mari a triumphant/apologetic smile, but he frowned when he saw she was gone. Despite the darkness, he located her easily. There was only one logical path for her to take. She was making her way toward the trucks. Whatever stealth had helped her sneak away from him had left her as she ran to the nearest one. Her feet stomped the ground and kicked up grass and dirt. He had little choice but to follow her, or she would give them both away. He was surprised she hadn't yet.

He caught up to her hiding behind one of the trucks. Thankfully she hadn't decided to charge out and challenge the man in purple, though she was leering at him like she thought he'd catch fire. Men and women in black uniforms worked diligently around him, moving parts of some mechanical contraption to and from the lead truck. With all the noise they made, it was no wonder they didn't hear Mari coming. The man was talking, but none of the guards seemed to pay him any attention.

"…should have expected those idiots to be working separately, selfish imbeciles… Surprised one of them isn't dead yet. The settlement was an unexpected complication… Influence is strained as it is... Well, I'll just carve my own path."

Reginald wondered what any of that meant, what this man's aim was. He was clearly up to something sinister. A yelp brought him out of his thoughts. He looked to Mari, who had scraped her leg on a broken branch stuck in one of the truck wheels.

"Quit sneaking off," he whispered. "I'm helping you, remember?"

"I don't want your help anymore." At least she had the sense to whisper that time.

"You!" It was too late for caution, apparently. They'd been spotted, and the man in purple did not look pleased. "You had your chance. I told you to carry on your way, but you didn't listen. They never listen. Why don't they- never mind that. You've caught me in a particularly bad mood."

All of the guards suddenly stopped what they were doing. A few literally dropped what they were doing, letting saw blades and metal joints fall to the ground with a collective thud. The black clad figures turned as one and piled into the trucks with two exceptions, a man and a woman. These two stood where they'd stopped until the man in purple beckoned them forward.

He smiled faintly. "It's so much easier when they're used to taking orders." The smile didn't last, though. "Why this so-called security force isn't equipped with conventional weapons I've no idea, but it should be no trouble to have their monsters tear you apart." Gesturing to the male guard, he said "This one's been itching for a fight all day."

Reginald recognized the man as the guard he battled the other day. If he recognized Reginald and Mari, he didn't show it. The guard just stood at attention with a blank expression, gazing off into space. The woman did the same.

The man in purple waved dismissively and walked to the cab of the lead truck. "Goodbye, children," was all he said before getting in. Then the door slammed, the engines roared, and the trucks were off. They took the only light in the area with them.

Reginald watched the guards warily in the fading light. The man hadn't been much of a problem before, but the woman might prove challenging.

There were two flashes of light as the guards unleashed their Pokémon, and a third as Mari sent out Kit. Reginald quickly called on Amp to light the area with a flash, just in time to glimpse something brown burrow underground beside a familiar Sandshrew. The Sandshrew charged blindly forward, slashing at the air. Amp sidestepped the fury swipes easily, and Kit spat an ember at the defenseless shrew. Before she could launch a more powerful attack, the ground beneath her feet collapsed and she was caught in the vice grip of two jagged horns.

The Pinsir was quick. It didn't give the Vulpix much time to struggle. It went from its dig attack straight into a vital throw, hurling the shocked Vulpix hard into the ground with a flick of its head and diving into the hard, dry dirt like it was water, narrowly avoiding Amp's thunderbolt.

Reginald was sure the woman would be trouble now. If he could paralyze the Pinsir, Amp would be able to take it out with a fire punch or two, but first it had to surface again. Even then, he could see a second ball on her belt. He doubted Kit would be much help against two well trained Pokémon. He didn't have to worry as much facing Sandshrew. It hadn't been able to do much damage at full strength. Blinded it was useless. As long as he only had to deal with one dangerous opponent at a time, they would be fine.

Kit was bruised, but had recovered enough to toy with the Sandshrew, apparently enjoying some revenge. Her trainer's mood seemed to have improved as a result. She was laughing. It was a spiteful laugh, but at least she wasn't red faced and screaming anymore. She laughed as Kit spat another ball of fire into the Sandshrew's back as it swung wildly at nothing.

Reginald frowned. She was supposed to defeat it, not torture it. He was about to reprimand her when the Pinsir burst out of the ground again. Mari shouted for a flamethrower, but it was no use. It grabbed Kit in a vicegrip between its horns and shook her like a ragdoll. It might have kept going if Amp hadn't shocked it. With a jolt the Pinsir dropped Kit and dug its way to safety. Mari stared dumbly at the Vulpix before returning her.

On the bright side Amp's thunder wave hit the Pinsir. It would be an easier target now, and less of a threat. Unfortunately it had still managed to dig away, and now he needed to command two Pokémon at once. He hated double battles. Splitting his concentration halved his efficiency. Not to mention that the adrenaline rush from the battle's start was wearing off and his body was remembering how tired it was. He would need to find some Chesto berries later. With a restrained sigh he sent out Stantler, who promptly put Sandshrew to sleep. Then it occurred to him that he could end this battle by simply putting the trainers to sleep and forcing their Pokémon back into their balls. It certainly wasn't honorable or legal, but these people had been told to kill them. Self-preservation trumps a fair fight any day.

"Stantler, focus on the trainers. Hypnotize them."

The Pinsir put a stop to that. It launched itself at Stantler, a heavy blow to the normal type. He ordered a fire punch that effectively knocked the bug back, but it was underground again in seconds. Even paralyzed it was fast. Unless it had been holding a berry, he realized. Of course. He could try paralyzing it again, but at this point his impatience was getting the better of him. He would knock out the Pinsir and put its trainer to sleep before she could send out her other Pokémon.

That was when the Sandshrew woke up, of course. At least, that was when Reginald realized it was awake He was so focused on Pinsir that he forgot about the sleeping shrew. It slashed at Amp, who seemed to have forgotten it as well. Amp seemed more annoyed than hurt, and batted the Sandshrew away with a fire punch. Burnt and battered as it was, the shrew didn't put up much of a fight. With that out of the way, Amp went back to scanning the ground for signs of Pinsir.

Reginald could hardly fault his Pokémon for defending itself, but now his plan was falling apart. As the Pinsir's trainer reached for her second pokéball, he knew he'd have to act fast. He was giving Stantler the order to hypnotize her when a string of obscenities cut him off. The Sandshrew's trainer was running at them with clenched fists, screaming all the way. He seemed to be focused on Mari. When Reginald turned to her she seemed just as unsettled as he was.

"What's his problem?" Mari asked. There was at least a hint of concern that broke through the pouting tone in her voice. "He seemed like a sore loser before, but this is just… weird."

Reginald nodded. Something didn't seem quite right. "There's definitely something off about them. I just can't put my finger on it." He could worry more about what was wrong with these people later, but then and there his concern was stopping them. "Stantler, hypnotize him."

Stantler moved into the man's line of sight, standing between him and Mari. He came to a gradual stop, stared at the antlers for a few more seconds, then dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Stantler made to move him away from the battlefield, scooping the man onto her back, but then there was a flash and a green blur slammed into the big horn Pokémon's side. With a cry of pain, Stantler collapsed and dropped her passenger.

The Scyther tore relentlessly into Stantler's side, each slash more powerful than the last. Reginald recognized the fury cutter and knew Stantler wouldn't be able to defend itself. Amp tried to launch a thunderbolt at the foe, but Pinsir intercepted. Stantler twisted her head to put antler between skin and blade, but the Scyther lopped it off with the ease of a knife cutting through butter. Before the bug could land another blow, Stantler was back in her ball.

With Amp barely holding off the Pinsir and the Sycther moving to attack, Reginald had to think quickly. He didn't have any fire or flying type with him and his only rock type would be too slow to land a hit. His attempts to slow the enemy had been evaded. He needed a way to take these bugs out quickly, to hit hard and actually land the hit. He only had two Pokémon left, and he'd already established that one of them would be ineffective. As he pulled the ball from his belt, an idea occurred to him that just might work.

As the ball opened, he shouted, "Quagsire, muddy water!"

The light from the pokéball had barely taken on the round, blue figure of a Quagsire, but the Pokémon understood. Water swirled around his feet, taking on a brown tinge as it gathered what dirt it could from the parched ground. When the water was sufficiently murky it surged past Amp and swept across the battlefield in a massive wave. The wall of water crashed down on the bugs, pushing them away like insects down a drain. The water sloshed around for a moment before the parched earth gulped it down greedily. With the bugs drenched, the next bit was simple.

"Amp, discharge."

The electricity sparked around Amp's tail for an instant, then leapt out in a myriad of jagged streaks. The attack lacked the total control that characterized muddy water, to the point where Reginald could feel the tingle of its touch. In his periphery he glimpsed Mari's hair standing on end as she jumped at the shock, but knew she would be more annoyed than anything. There was _some_ element of control to discharge, and he knew the brunt of the move's power would be concentrated on the bugs.

Quagsire would not have been spared except for his typing. As it was, the sparks danced over him to no effect. The bugs, on the other hand, felt the discharge full force. Their drenching didn't help their situation. The Pinsir tried to dig away, but in its haste it slipped in the fresh mud. The Scyther, part flying type, never stood a chance. The electricity coursed through their systems like wild fire. They collapsed in a matter of seconds.

Reginald managed a celebratory sigh of relief before the screaming started. First was Mari, with something he probably should have expected. He jumped nonetheless.

"My hair!" she shrieked, frantically patting her hair in an attempt to make it respectable. "Why did you do that?"

"You seem to be forgetting that their boss told them to kill us. I think a bad hair day is preferable to no day at all."

This only seemed to upset her further. "I don't have anything to fix this," she moaned, "and-"

Her complaints were cut off by the other guard, who Reginald had nearly forgotten. She let out a shrill scream and charged at them, ignoring her fallen Pokémon still twitching in the mud. Quagsire and Amp were between her and her targets, but Reginald hesitated. It would be simple enough to incapacitate her, but there was a big difference between putting someone to sleep and paralyzing them. Paralysis was a painful affliction, and could have permanent effects. He'd seen it firsthand, and didn't want to see it again. On the other hand, she had been ordered to kill them, and he wasn't exactly a master of self defense. Amp looked to him for instruction. He hesitated.

The choice was taken out of his hands. The ground lurched beneath them, and a low rumble filled the air. The guard slipped and fell flat on her face, joining her team in the mud. She wasn't the only one to lose her footing. Reginald had nearly regained his balance when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He and Mari were fortunate enough to land on their backsides. It was still painful, but preferable to broken limbs or cracked skulls.

The shaking died down, and Reginald pulled himself shakily to his feet. He offered Mari a hand, which she ignored.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm fine," she said sharply as she pushed herself up from the ground.

"I just want to help you," Reginald said. She might be a brat, but he wasn't going to go back on his word.

"Well, I don't want your help anymore." She stumbled, but Reginald caught her arm before she could fall again.

"If you want to go after these people, you're going to need it. Kit's out of commission and the only way to change that is to use my supplies. That, or walk to the Center in town. Even if Kit was in fighting shape, she wouldn't last a minute against one guard, let alone dozens." She looked like she was either going to scream or cry. Or both. Reginald chose his next words carefully. "I'm not insulting you. It's just a fact. You're not strong enough." She glared at him, then turned her gaze toward the figures in the mud puddle. "Fine," she said sulkily, "But I'm not happy about it."

"You don't have to be, as long as you start working _with_ me instead of trying to do this on your own."

Reginald took off his backpack to get some bandages, potions, and a revive. He was about to close it up again when he heard Mari yawn. He grabbed the canteens and rummaged around in the berry pouch until he found what he was looking for. He handed one of the blue berries to Mari, and took one for himself.

"These will keep us awake. They're a bit tough and dry, but they're edible."

Mari took one bite and made a face. He shook his head and handed her one of the canteens. She gulped down half the bottle's contents.

"They're not that bad."

"Yes they are," she said, taking another swig. Her tone seemed to have improved. It was less spiteful, sounding more tired than angry.

She finished her berry reluctantly, and Reginald did the same. He couldn't help but grimace at the taste. He would have preferred something with more flavor to balance out the dryness. Unfortunately, Lum berries were too useful in battle to waste on mere fatigue, and he didn't have time to waste on preparing a proper meal. He shrugged, accepting defeat. A fair trade for wakefulness. Already he could feel the fatigue leaving his limbs.

With the issue of sleep pushed aside for the time being, Reginald turned his attention to the guards. He wanted to know what the man in purple was up to, and these people just might be able to tell him something. These wouldn't be the first grunts he'd ever interrogated, though they were the first to actually try to kill him.

He said to Mari, "Before we go any further, I think we need to take care of a few things and get some questions answered."

He approached the woman first, returning her Pokémon and dragging her from the mud. She groaned, but gave no resistance. He set her down next to her sleeping friend. He eyed her with concern for a moment, but dismissed her condition in favor of priorities. While the woman was clearly in no condition for questioning, her counterpart would be easy enough to wake up.

* * *

Marvin woke with a splitting headache and a dry taste in his mouth. He tried to stretch only to find his arms and legs bound. His grogginess vanished, eyes going wide, mind alert. He cringed at the sudden light, and he felt his restraints tighten as he struggled against them.

"Good, you're awake," said a voice.

He recognized it. The humiliating loss came flooding back to him. He opened his eyes slowly this time, letting them adjust to the brightness. Sure enough, he was there. The Ampharos stood beside him, casting its harsh light on his face. The thief stood behind him, looking down on Marvin with contempt. He glared until she shifted her gaze uncomfortably. The boy spoke again.

"We have some questions for you," he said.

Marvin wanted to shout at the brats, ask them some questions of his own, but his words caught in his throat. All he managed was a hoarse cough that sprayed flecks of blue at his feet. The boy offered him some water and he drank grudgingly. His thirst outweighed his outrage.

"That'll be the Chesto powder," said the boy, smiling apologetically. "I didn't want to risk choking you."

Marvin took a moment to compose himself before speaking. "What do you want?"

"Just a few answers," the boy replied. "For instance, why was your boss so adamant that we not follow him?"

Marvin puzzled over what the kid meant. Had they been tailing Mr. Donyoku somewhere? Did the old man even leave his house that often? Maybe the kid was asking why Marvin had been chasing the little thief, but, no, that didn't make any sense.

"I don't need to answer some trespassing delinquent's questions," Marvin said. "If anything _you _should be answering _my _questions. Why am I tied up?"

"You wanted to kill us, stupid!" The thief shouted. Where did she get that idea?

"I was detaining you for-"

"Wait," the boy said. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Marvin scowled at that. "You knocked out Sandshrew and I had to walk back to the mansion in the rain. I-" It suddenly occurred to him that his uniform was dry. "I think I passed out."

The boy nodded. He looked like he was piecing something together. "That was yesterday. Do remember anything since then? Anything at all?"

"I'm not-" he winced as his headache reminded him of its presence. His head felt like it might explode. Through the pain he remembered something, though. A glimpse of purple, a cold voice. When he spoke, he was trying to answer his own questions as much as the boy's. "There was a man. I think he told me to do… something. The details are..."

"It felt like a dream, right?" The boy asked. "You didn't really think about what was happening. It just happened."

Marvin nodded. The boy seemed to have figured something out, but Marvin was still clueless.

"Tangela, let him go. We don't have to worry about him."

The restraints loosened and Marvin gladly stood and stretched his arms and legs. Not everyone was happy about his release.

"What do you mean?" the thief shouted indignantly. "He tried to _kill us_!"

"I have reason to believe that our purple clothed friend is a psychic," Reginald said with absolute certainty.

"How do you know that?" The thief asked, her face scrunching up in confusion.

The boy seemed uncomfortably for a moment before facing her. "I've had a similar experience. Let's just say I was a sore loser in Saffron City, and the Gym Leader took some liberties in removing me from her property." It took Marvin a moment to place the famous Kanto city's Gym Leader. He had never been interested in League tournaments and gym challenges, but he was familiar with the more prominent officials. "The signs were all there. The vacant expressions, the clumsiness, Donyoku's hesitation. A powerful enough psychic can influence other people, make them do things they normally wouldn't. Anything from making a fool of themselves to attempted murder." He turned to Marvin and asked, "Did you ever notice the man in purple before yesterday? Is he one of Donyoku's employees?"

"Well _I_ never saw him before," the thief said dismissively.

If Marvin hadn't been giving her a puzzled look he would have seen the boy doing the same.

"How would you know?" Marvin asked gruffly.

She opened her mouth, then closed it, expression softening. "I guess I wouldn't," she said, taking a sudden interest in the weather. "Hey, look, the sun's up."

Marvin scowled. "Why are you helping this lying thief? She's obviously up to no good."

"She may be lying, but she's not a thief. That's not important right now, though," the boy said. "I'm sorry I had you tied up. I'm sure you understand why it was necessary."

"I'm still wrapping my head around this psychic stuff," Marvin said, rubbing his temple.

"There's something a bit more urgent you need to worry about." The boy sounded nervous now. "I'm afraid we weren't able to subdue your partner as… delicately as you. She may need medical attention."

"Partner?" Marvin said. "Medical attention?"

The Ampharos gestured to his left, and Marvin noticed the prone figure there. She wore a standard Donyoku Security uniform, and he thought he might have seen her face at the guard house once or twice. She didn't look too good.

"What happened to her?" He asked.

"The same thing that happened to you," said the boy, "except she fell."

Marvin couldn't help but find that suspicious. "She just fell, huh? You didn't have anything to do with it?" The boy seemed decent enough, but Marvin wasn't going to trust his every word. He was helping the thief after all.

"No," he said, sounding offended. "Here." The boy held out two Pokéballs, returning the Tangela and releasing a Stantler with a missing horn and a big bandage wrapped around its side. He stepped over to the unconscious woman, grabbing her shoulders and nodding to her feet. Marvin got the message and helped him lift her onto the Pokémon's back. "Stantler took a pretty heavy beating, but with the potions I used she should be able to help carry your friend into town. Once you're there, see if you can't contact local law enforcement about our psychic problem."

With that he turned and walked away, toward the mountains. The thief and the Ampharos were quick to follow him. The Stantler started walking away in a separate direction immediately. Marvin hesitated, confused by how quickly things seemed to be moving.

"Wait, where are you going?" Marvin shouted after them.

"We can't afford to lose the psychic," the boy shouted back. "He's up to no good."

The Ampharos' light faded, but the rising sun was high enough to illuminate the distant town. With a sigh and a shrug, he turned to follow the Stantler. He thought about trying to stop the kid, but that hadn't worked so well in the past. If the kid and his thieving friend were going to challenge some mind warping psycho, then so be it.

* * *

Elsewhere, a bird contemplated its nightmares. She had been meditating, awaiting the sunrise, when the voice broke her concentration. She had been dodging falling rock when the voice demanded her attention. She had been sleeping still, when the voice touched her dreams. Her vision was not usually so fixated. No matter what path the future walked, the voice was there, molesting her mind.

With her fate so clearly sealed, the bird could think of little to do but ponder which path the future would choose. So she passed the time, nervously hopping about her dwelling.

The bird had tried to escape her more prominent visions before. It was never easy, and failure was more common than success. There were rarely many useful details, and there was so much potential danger in the world. As the bird's mother had put it, "In the future only one thing is certain."

Her mother had seen many things in her lifetime, and all had come to pass in one form or another. She had seen the men cutting the forest away, turning the land to dust, blasting holes in the mountains, and tainting the river. Some of the flock left then and there, but her mother was old, too old to fly away. She had already seen her final vision. Her path ended where it began. The only uncertainty was her daughter.

She stayed, of course. She could no more abandon her mother than her mother could evade the end. Besides her loyalty and love, she had been too young to fly. They found a small cave where the men would not dig and the Paras and Rhyhorn would not lurk. Though they lived off the trees, the forest would no longer be safe. What little of the forest would survive the men would be crowded, permitting only the strong. It would be no place for the old and the (soon orphaned) young. The cave was hardly ideal. No sprouts or berries grew in the dark rock, and they subsisted on lichen and Paras fruit for a time. They had shared one last vision of hope, however. A hero in their time of need to provide food and protection. There was a price, but it was well worth living.

She wondered where he was, then, her mind retuning to the recent future. The bird could not see him in dreams beyond the past, as he was not of her kind. She could only see that which was to be if it affected her or her flock directly, and her mate was not truly of the flock. Still, she wondered, and she thanked him silently for another moment's distraction from her fate.

She wondered, then, if he would know she was in need. Perhaps he would be her savior once again. Sadly, she already knew the answer. He had not been in her dreams. Perhaps she could let him know, though. While the voice and its cold touch would inevitably find her, escape might be possible. With all her might she made a wish and left her visions in their nest. They twinkled as they swirled about the mass of twigs and cloth. She stared at it a long time, remembering her hero bringing the pieces, bit by bit, to keep them comfortable; remembering her mother growing cold despite her hero's best efforts, despite her strongest wishes; remembering huddling under strong wings for comfort and warmth.

A cold, angry shout brushed her memories aside, and she knew the voice had found her. Like a Zubat's shriek, it was piercing and left her mind muddled. She struggled to form a coherent thought and failed. The voice carried words that were not its own. All she could feel was their fear and uncertainty. The world spun around her, then shook with the force of an earthquake. Her vision blurred.

Then the shaking stopped, the other words vanished, and there was nothing but the voice. It was crystal clear, painfully so. It whispered to her, asking her to come out from her hiding place. It wouldn't hurt her. It just wanted to talk. She didn't believe it, but she felt herself moving toward it anyway. Her thoughts were fading to obscurity again, and she felt her vision losing focus. It felt like falling asleep, and her last conscious thought was that she might dream of escape.

* * *

"Curious," the Ambassador said, examining the creature before him. He was shocked at first to discover that such a tiny thing could draw his attention. It was so small, yet it held so much potential. He grinned and let the thing hop into his hand. It appeared as though his little detour would pay off.

He climbed into the truck and waved his free hand to the drill operators. The machine rumbled to life, boring deeper into the mountainside.


	10. Lost and Found

"Get it off! Get it off!" Dennis screamed, swatting at the bat circling his head. He slipped in a patch of guano just as Alli knocked the bat out of the air with a well-placed jet of water. It fell to the cave floor to join the few dozen others that had stayed to fight.

"That'll teach 'em!" Winn cheered.

The rest of the bats had fled in their quake-induced panic. Soomwa wouldn't be surprised if they made trouble deeper in the cave, though he supposed they might have fled the cave altogether through some smaller tunnel to the outside.

Alma offered Dennis a hand and he gratefully accepted. When he was on his feet again the girl turned to Soomwa.

"We're not walking through this stuff anymore. Alli can wash it away."

"By all means, please do," the scientist said. The local fauna was fascinating. He had so many questions. How much water could a fer-alligator hold? How did the yellow creature with the (apparently vestigial) wings generate such bright light? It pained him to stay so ignorant, but he couldn't be sure what the average person here knew, what he was supposed to know, and it wouldn't do to garner any unnecessary suspicion.

"Is everyone okay?" Darius asked from his seat on the ground. His backpack had cushioned his fall, but he was having trouble getting up. The little red-shelled thing poked its head out from a pile of rocks and crawled toward its master, trying and failing to prop him up.

"I believe so," said Soomwa, looking first at Maria then at Dennis. "Miss Hart? Mister Fris?"

"I'm alright," said his assistant.

"I'll survive," Dennis mumbled, wiping the filth from his hands on his coat.

"I'm good," Alma said. "I don't see Emily, though. Or-"

"Victor?" Winn piped in. He'd been admiring the blue lizard until then. "Where's Victor?"

"They must've been caught in the cave in!" Darius surmised, gesturing to the wall of collapsed rock behind him. "We've got to get them out." Suddenly the boy was on his feet, tossing rocks away.

"Alli, use strength," The lizard joined him on Alma's orders.

Soomwa rolled his eyes. The children were frantic. Apparently two were missing. If this went on much longer he would lose valuable time.

"We don't have time for this. They'll be fine. I'm sure they're just on the other side." He was sure the rocks had crushed them, and he wasn't going to waste time digging out a couple of corpses.

"We can't just leave them!" Alma exclaimed.

While they bickered Dennis traced a rut in the wall with his hand. Soomwa was too busy trying to convince Alma that her friend would be fine to wonder what he was up to. Soomwa wasn't particularly well acquainted with Dennis Fris, but he had always been a reliable member of the team and he often found solutions to problems that even Soomwa struggled with. As Soomwa was pointing out the already limited time his missing colleagues had, Dennis whispered something to Miss Hart who nodded.

"I remember this place," he said, loud enough to draw everyone's attention.

"You do?" Miss Hart asked, acting surprised.

"Yes. There were linked paths, forks that met up again."

Miss Hart waited a moment to let the information sink in before asking skeptically, "How could you tell? It was pitch black."

"There was a groove in the wall," Dennis said confidently. "See here. It leads along this part of the cave adjacent the other path. I wandered around it for hours before I realized I was going in circles. We'll just meet with them on the other side."

"But how do we know they're well enough to even walk? They could be trapped under fallen rock," Alma pointed out. Winn whimpered at the thought.

Dennis scowled, but thinking quickly, asked, "Is there no way to contact them?"  
His question was met with silence until Winn said, "I kn-know Victor's Pokégear number."

Alma pulled out a small device about the size of a wristwatch. She said, "I'm not sure if we have service in here, but it's worth a shot."

While the girl made her call, Soomwa walked over to his colleagues. "Quick thinking on your part, Mister Fris, but what happens when she calls the boy and there isn't a second path?"

Dennis shrugged, a smug grin on his face. "We're underground and that's either a satellite phone or a cell phone. Either way, you do the math. No signal, no call. The children will just have to take my word for it. We'll be on our way in no time."

"It's ringing!" said Alma excitedly. "Victor, can you hear me?"

His smile didn't falter, but he did mutter a few curses as he made his way over to the girl.

* * *

"Hey! Wake up."

Victor felt like he'd been hit by a dizzy punch. His head hurt and he could barely remember why. The smell didn't help much. Earthquakes and Golbats and broken lanterns.

"I know you're still breathing."

He opened his eyes to see... very little. A dim light shone on the floor around him. On one side of him was a misshapen wall of rocks. On the other, there was only darkness. On the lit side of the cave a figure was picking through his backpack.

Victor mustered the strength to call out. "Hey! Stay out of there Winn." He didn't sound nearly as menacing as he'd hoped to. When he tried to get up he winced.

"Finally," the figure muttered. It was Emily, not Winn. The light got brighter as she got closer, and he realized she was carrying his Pokégear.

"What are you doing with my stuff?" Victor asked.

"You're hurt. I'm helping you," she said.

She held up the first aid kit from his bag, then tossed the Pokégear at his feet. He was going to shout at her for being so careless with his things, but the blood pooled at his feet redirected his concern.

"How did this happen?" he asked frantically. He tried to move again and paid for it. Pain shot through his leg and he screamed.

Emily held his leg down and glared at him. "Cave in, duh. Calm down." She pulled some gauze and disinfectant from the kit along with some other supplies.

"Where are the othe-ah!" She wasn't very gentle rolling up his pant leg. She wasn't fazed by the wound or his pain apparently. Victor tried to get a better look, but all he could see was blood. He felt light-headed.

"Hold still. You need a splint." She went to work tending to the wound, and Victor tried his best to sit still. The pain was too much, though, and he found himself cringing at every touch.

"This would be so much easier if you were asleep." she mumbled.

"Then why were you trying to wake me up?"

"Your bag is a mess," She said, pointing to the backpack. It lay open on the ground, potions and Pokéballs strewn about and mingling with guano. With that sight in mind, he was grateful to be bleeding on relatively clean rock.

"The first aid kit was in the front pouch."

"I figured that out. Hold this." She shoved the kit into his hand and trudged over to his backpack. "Do you have a fishing rod?" she asked.

"Left front pocket," he said, confused. "Why?"

She pulled the rod out, unfolded it, and locked it in place. She tried to bend it and when it didn't budge she seemed satisfied.

"Super rod. You must have money," she said, sounding just a bit less pleasant than usual.

"It's my mom's." Victor replied.

"Whatever." She cut the line with a pair of scissors from the first aid kit.

"Hey!"

"Calm down. It's for the splint." she tossed the hook and line away and attached the rod to his leg with medical tape. "That should hold."

"It still hurts," Victor groaned.

"Duh. It's broken. At least you can walk on it now."

She helped him to his feet and he found he was at least able to take a few steps forward without gut-wrenching pain.

"Thanks," he said. Emily didn't acknowledge it. She picked some of the more valuable items from the Golbat poop and tossed them back in his bag before throwing it to him. He didn't bother thanking her that time.

With his injury taken care of, Victor suddenly remembered his earlier question.

"Where is everyone?" He asked.

"Probably the other side of that," she said, pointing to what used to be part of the ceiling. "Unless they're under it."

It hit Victor like a mach punch to the face: he'd lost Winn. It was worse than any physical injury. He felt like he was going to throw up. The guano didn't help matters, and in a few seconds he was looking at breakfast again.

"Gross." Emily stepped farther away.

He felt tears welling up. This was terrible! He'd never be able to live with himself. He'd practically killed Winn. He was supposed to look out for Winn. He never should have let his little brother come along. He should have left him at the Pokémon Center or sent him home with Kadabra. What would he tell mom and dad?

With a start Victor realized he hadn't even called his parents since he left the woods. He hadn't checked in for two days, but with his loss to Digsby and the lost archaeologists he had forgotten. For all they knew he hadn't even made it to Boomtown. They must be so worried already, he thought, and now he was going to have to tell them that their youngest son was dead.

"Wow. You really screwed up, didn't you?"

Victor turned to see Emily smirking at him. The expression looked unnatural on her face.

"What?" He asked, confused.

She walked over to him and leaned on his shoulder, putting pressure on his injured leg. He couldn't move away without losing his balance.

She whispered into his ear. "You're such a screw up. You drove your sister away with your whining. Your parents already hate you for that. You set off on some stupid little journey to find her, but you can't go ten feet from home without wetting your pants. The Professor you look up to and the girl you like only stuck around because they had to, and they couldn't wait to get rid of you. You picked a wimpy little puffball for a partner, humiliated yourself at the first Gym, and now you've killed your brother. Mom and Dad are going to love that!"

She shoved him hard to the ground where he landed in a puddle of mixed filth. She stepped on his leg, grinning wider as she added pressure and his screams grew louder. She stomped a foot down on his hand when he went for the Pokéballs at his belt.

"Your slaves are just as weak as you are. You'll never amount to anything!"

"Why?" Victor asked through the confusion, tears, and pain. "Why are you doing this to me?"

She leaned down, yellow eyes full of malice, and pecked his cheek. "Because it's fun."

A flash of white lit the cave. Victor's vision filled with stars. There was a shriek, a rush of cold wind, and then silence. When his vision returned, Victor saw a dark figure hunched over Emily. He reached for Pyra's ball, not sure if he was safe. He didn't have to worry about Emily anymore, but for all he knew the thing that attacked her might still attack him. He caught a glimpse of the figure's face and threw Pyra's ball immediately. Glinting eyes and pointed teeth. It wasn't Misdreavus, but it sure looked dangerous.

The strange surroundings confused the Houndour at first, but as soon as Victor gave the order "bite!" she jumped into action... and fell face first into a pile of guano. The purple sharp-toothed thing just stared with unblinking eyes.

"What's going on?" Emily asked groggily.

"What do you mean 'What's going on'? You attacked me!" Victor blurted before a shriek from behind made him scream. He screamed an octave higher when the sharp-toothed thing lunged at him, but his terror died down when the thing dove over him rather than at him. He looked over his shoulder, heart beating out of his chest, to see the thing rake a familiar Misdreavus with a shadow claw. His tormentor shrieked in pain and retreated into darkness.

Could that mean Misdreavus was responsible for Emily attacking him? That would explain how she knew so much about him. He'd only met her after he lost to Digsby, after all. There was no way she knew about his sister or his home, and it wasn't the first time Misdreavus decided to taunt him in someone else's body. Emily didn't seem hostile anymore. Well, no more than usual anyway.

"Uh. Thanks," Victor said to his impish, purple savior. It stared at him for a minute before flashing a big toothy smile that made him jump.

"Sableye," Emily said sternly. "Get back in your ball." The Sableye smiled wider and sidestepped the beam from the Pokéball.

"Wait!" Victor cried. "Your Sableye is keeping us safe. There's this Misdreavus and it hates me I guess and it's been following me and I think it possessed you and-"

"Alright, I'll leave Sableye out. Why are you such a spaz?"

Victor felt tears coming to his eyes again, but he fought them back. He wouldn't give Misdreavus the satisfaction, even if some of what it said was true.

"I'm a failure," he said sullenly. "I let my family down and got my brother killed-"

"Probably," Emily interrupted. Victor worried Misdreavus was back until he saw that Emily wasn't smiling. She kept talking.

"You don't know, though. For all you know he could be fine. There's no way of knowing unless we do something about it, so..." She must have expected him to say something, because she rolled her eyes when he didn't speak. "So let's do something."  
Emily helped Victor to his feet and led the way to the pile of rubble. They tossed any rocks they could lift away. They didn't seem to be putting much of a dent in the heap of rocks, but they kept at it.

"What are you looking at?" Emily muttered. Victor turned to see Sableye grinning widely at its trainer. Before he could ask about this behavior a ringing sound echoed around the cave.

"My Pokégear!" Victor cried. What if it was mom and dad? What would he tell them? 'Sorry, Winn can't come to the phone right now because I lost him in the cave in. Don't worry, though. He might be fine.'

He hobbled over to it, wincing with every other step. Sableye beat him to it, and handed it to him. He hesitated, unnerved by the Pokémon staring at him, before answering the call. "Hello?"

"Victor, ca-ou hear me?" Alma's voice crackled.

"Alma!" He was relieved, both that she was okay and that he wouldn't have to explain anything to his parents. "Is Winn there?" Victor asked anxiously.

"-es, he's fine."

A wave of relief washed over him. His brother was safe. Sure, there was still a ton of rocks between them, but it was a step above dead.

"Are you o-ay?"

"Yeah." His leg wasn't bleeding anymore. That was 'okay,' right? No need to worry the others more than they were. "Emily's good, too. Is everyone else okay?"

There was a lot of static before he got a response. Alma wasn't the one talking, though.

"-ello? Victor, was it? This - ennis. Do you see a path - fork in the tunnel?"  
Victor held up the Pokégear. All he could see were rocks, poop, and cave walls. He couldn't see any obvious path beyond the tunnel they came from. Assuming that _was_ the tunnel they came from. The fallen rock had erased any footprints or other indicators, and he might have gotten turned around in the confusion.

"I can only see one tunnel-."

"Good! -erfect!" Dennis said. "Just follow that path and you'll run into us in no time."

There was a click and the call ended. Victor was still piecing together what he'd been told when Emily walked over.

"Well?" She said impatiently.

"I'm not sure if I heard right," Victor said slowly. "But it sounds like there's a way around this." Victor waved a hand at the huge barrier. "He mentioned a forked path."

"There was a fork in the tunnels earlier, before we found the new guy," Emily reminded him.

Victor shrugged. "I guess that's what he meant."

The two trainers headed back to the more developed part of the mine, using fallen stalactites and other rocks as stepping-stones whenever possible. Neither would miss the smell. Pyra stayed close to Victor, and Sableye close to Emily. While the fire type focused on new smells and sounds, the ghost scanned the dark corners of the tunnel for threats. Its gem-like eyes locked on one shadow in particular, and it grinned. _I see you_.

Misdreavus pouted. Some people just had no sense of humor.

* * *

When Lawrence Digsby reached Thane and Zane's cabin, he was not happy with what he found. Officer Jenny and her Growlithe were incapacitated by some sort of electric device. Even after Marowak smashed the thing, the two remained unresponsive. As soon as Dugtrio confirmed the parolees weren't there, Digsby returned Growlithe, took the officer in his arms, and headed back to town. He wished he knew how to use her bike. The sooner he could get her to a doctor the better.

When he got back to town it was just past noon. Most of the stream-panning crowd was home for lunch. They were treated to the sight of Digsby carrying Jenny bridal style into the Pokémon Center. Digsby was sure the officer would have no problem quelling whatever rumors the local busybodies came up with.

Inside the Center, Digsby was surprised to find the lobby empty and the front desk unattended. He thought Joy might be out for lunch, but a noise from the back room caught his attention: the clatter of metal instruments on tile floor.

He went around the counter and into the back room to find the nurse very busy with patients. Laid out on one examination table was a groaning woman. He could tell from her uniform that she worked for Donyoku. He found her presence suspicious. Donyoku didn't send his security people into town unless he had a problem with one of the locals. Digsby would keep them out of Boomtown completely if it weren't for the League's agreement with the man.

On another table was a Scyther that twitched every so often, not unlike the police officer in his arms. Standing nearby was a Stantler covered in bandages and missing a horn. It was staring down a drowsy-looking Pinsir that had knocked a tray to the floor. A Chansey and another one of Donyoku's thugs restrained the weakly struggling Pinsir while Nurse Joy gathered the tray and fallen items. The smile she kept plastered on her face for trainers was nowhere to be seen.

"Healing machine on the fritz again?" Digsby asked. He set Jenny down on a stretcher and helped the nurse pick up the last of the fallen items.

"Tremors knocked out the power this morning. I thought you had those crazy brothers reigned in," she said. To her Chansey she said, "Put him on table three."  
The pink Pokémon gave an affirmative "Chan!" and lifted the sleeping bug with the Donyoku thug's help.

"I guess not," said Digsby with a thumb pointed at the officer behind him. "Found Jenny incapacitated on the premises, but those boys were nowhere in sight."

"I'll take a look at her in a minute," Joy said. "This one just came in with all these injured. He's got a story you'll want to hear."

The man in question had just set the Pinsir down on the table. Digsby gave him a quick once over. He was different from the usual thugs Donyoku sent into town. His uniform wasn't crisp and clean, he wasn't wearing any sunglasses, and he sported only a single Pokéball on his belt. Whereas the typical thug sported a smug grin or at least an unwavering look of seriousness, this man forced a tired smile as he extended a hand to the gym leader.

"Mr. Digsby. I have something important to tell you."

"Looks like you had quite the battle," Digsby remarked.

"Not really. Well, I can't say for sure," the man said wearily. He put a hand to his head and closed his eyes, mumbling something along the lines of "not my lucky day." He took a deep breath and asked, "What do you know about psychics?"

**Special thanks to Unknown Species for demanding more, and to Slybill, author of _A Simple Pokémon Story_, for his exemplary update speed.**


	11. Earning Privileges

The midday sun broke through the few trees around the house and streamed in through the window above the kitchen sink. It glinted off of soap bubbles and drying plates and twisted spoons. Kadabra scrubbed dutifully at the char marks on Pyra's bowl, reflecting on the recent departure of his longtime companion. They had shared many experiences, both good and bad, and despite some initial hostility they had developed a mutual respect. The little Houndour was by no means his intellectual equal, but she was loyal and true and served their family well.

They hadn't 'talked' much, but when they had it was at the same time trivial and yet meaningful. If not for the occasional bark, he would have thought she was mute. After all, Kadabra couldn't so much as sense dark types, let alone put thoughts in one's head, and he had always had trouble turning thoughts into spoken words and vice versa. This limited their ability to communicate, but they had worked out a sort of body language in lieu of verbal and mental speech. The psychic type took a moment to contemplate whether the absence of an absence was really an absence at all. He decided that it was, as he missed the little Houndour and their wordless conversations.

He sensed that he was not the only one feeling absence. His trainer, drying dishes beside him, radiated sadness and worry. Her children had left the shelter of home to search the world for purpose. It was a natural step in their growth, but it was difficult to accept given past trauma. She had never fully recovered from losing her daughter, and she feared losing her sons. She let her first son leave in the hopes that she would not lose him completely only to have her second son run off after him. It had only been two days, and already her worry was consuming her. Images of bloodshed and burials cluttered her head. All of her doubts and fears were tangled into a knot, and it was constricting her.

Her partner, putting the dry dishes away to her left, wasn't concerned about the children as much. Every so often a thought would flit through his mind: he wondered how the boys were doing, why the older one hadn't called home yet. He was more focused on his partner's wellbeing, however. Memories of the sleep lost and tears shed over the runaway were still fresh, and he feared all the progress she had made could be undone. Kadabra shared this concern.

Kadabra had known each of his trainer's children from birth, and he had watched them grow beside her, sharing in her parental pride. He had played an important role in helping raise them, providing assistance in every capacity from changing dirty diapers to ensuring meals were eaten to providing a safety net for tree climbing. As a result, he understood the responsibility she felt for their wellbeing.

"I think we should call them," his trainer said, setting down the glass she had dried. The words held no meaning to Kadabra, but he sensed the thoughts they corresponded with: a desire for contact.

Her partner put the glass with the others in the cupboard. His thoughts conflicted. There was a desire to hear from the children, but there was something else as well.

"It's only been a few days," he said, his thoughts dwelling on their sons' desire for freedom and adventure. He did not want to keep them if they did not want to stay. It hadn't worked with their daughter, and he doubted it would work with the boys. "I'm sure Victor's just distracted. Starting his journey is a big step. With Winn tagging along I'm sure he's been preoccupied. He'll call once he gets settled in."

She didn't seem particularly reassured. She sat down at the kitchen table with a sigh. Her partner was quick to join her, taking a seat beside her. Kadabra did not abandon his post at the sink, opting instead to console his trainer psychically. He sent soothing images of the boys safe and happy, with Pyra in tow. The knot of fear in her skull loosened, but did not disappear.

"There's just so much that could happen. So much could go wrong," she said, looking into her partner's eyes. She was searching for hope there. She wanted him to prove her wrong.  
He forced a smile for her and said, "We were trainers once. Sure, there were tough times, but we survived, didn't we?"

The knot tightened, and Kadabra flinched at the sudden wave of doubt and sadness. "But we know friends who didn't." She looked away, knowing that what she was looking for wasn't there.

There was a twinge of sadness from her partner, but it was replaced by a flash of determination. When he spoke it was with a confidence that comes only with absolute certainty. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, "I know it's difficult to accept, but it's the risks we took that made us who we are. We may have lost friends along the way, but we never would have met them if we hadn't been willing to take our chances exploring the world in the first place. If we had chosen safety over adventure we never would have met each other."

The knot loosened again. She met her partner's gaze once more. "I guess we wouldn't have any kids to worry about, then."

He smiled, knowing she understood. "Victor's been waiting for this four years now. We've given him all the love and care any kid could ask for. Now he needs us to let him earn his independence. He has to make his own decisions. He's earned it."

The knot was practically gone now, all the little fears pulled apart. They were still there, but they would not dominate her mind. "Alright," she said. "I won't worry about it anymore. He can call when he's ready."

Kadabra still sensed some reluctance in his trainer. She could not let go completely, and he did not blame her. He gave a psychic nudge to her partner, who looked up and nodded.

"We'll call him tomorrow, though. Just to say hi."

For the first time in two days she smiled.

* * *

It wasn't difficult to figure out where the psychic had gone. There weren't many gaping holes in the mountain side large enough to fit a truck. On top of that it was unnaturally round and smooth, clearly man-made. They had been walking for _hours_ in this tunnel with nothing to see but Amp's light and curved rock walls, and the monotony was starting to get to Mari. She was bored, and that disgusting berry that had kept her awake so far seemed to be wearing off.

At least riding around on Stantler had been fun; it was a lot like riding a Ponyta without the danger of burns. It had been exciting chasing the purple-clothed fat man when the trucks were so close. She could practically see the pudgy man telling Daddy what to do, telling _her_ what to do, and it made her mad. It was wood on the fire that drove her to keep going. There was nothing to keep the fire stoked in this dumb tunnel, though. There was nothing to see and nothing to do but walk and be bored.

"Why did you let that jerk take Stantler?" she asked. "This is taking too long."

"He needed the help," Reginald explained. "He never would've made it to town if he had to carry that other guard by himself."

"So?" He could've dragged her there. Let him struggle if it meant her life would be easier. That's what Daddy paid them for.

"We'll be just fine on foot."

Mari groaned. She didn't think so. If she didn't keel over from lack of sleep soon she'd die of boredom. Maybe Reginald had some other Pokémon they could ride.

"We're never going to catch up with him like this," she pointed out. "Those trucks can go way faster than us. Can't we ride Amp or something?"

This earned her a glare and an irritated baa from the electric type.

Reginald smirked at the thought. "Amp isn't built for passengers. If you're really worried we could pick up the pace, but keep in mind that those trucks can only go so fast while boring through solid rock."

Mari stuck her tongue out at the thought of 'picking up the pace.' She was having enough trouble with walking. She would not be putting _more_ work into traveling.

While Mari was bemoaning her situation she didn't notice Reginald looking thoughtful. If she had, she might have expected him to ask a question. As it was she was taken by surprise.

"Why do you want to stop this guy so badly, anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Mari asked, taken aback. "He's a jerk, right? He needs to be stopped, or whatever," she mumbled without conviction. Why was he so curious all of a sudden?

Reginald eyed her skeptically. "No offense," he said, "but you don't strike me as the type to go out of your way to help a bunch of strangers, especially after one called you a thief. You definitely don't sound like you want to be here, either. So why do you care?"

"Well..."

Mari hesitated. What was the best way to answer that question? She couldn't think of any decent lies, but if she told the truth... why was she keeping that a secret again? The whole point of lying had been so she could be a trainer without worrying about Daddy dragging her home. Now she wasn't sure if she cared.

This whole journey so far had been nothing but a big disappointment. She had no idea how the people on TV had it so easy. Her favorite stars had all started off the same way. They got their starters on a sunny day, battled their way to the first gym, beat it with ease, and celebrated at the local Pokémon Center. Instead, she'd started off ruining her shoes thanks to some stupid plant, losing her stuff thanks to some stupid guard, getting soaked in a freak thunderstorm, and sleeping on the ground in some stupid tent. She hadn't even made it into town! The food was garbage, the walking was a pain, and she'd lost more battles than she'd won. To top it all off, some fat old man with no sense of style thought he could tell her what to do.

Now that she thought about it she realized she would much rather be home, watching other people travel and battle from the comfort of her bed or the sofa or any one of the comfy pieces of furniture situated near a TV. She actually _wanted_ to hear the maids jabber on about whatever it was they talked about. She wanted to have Argent barge into her room and demand to know why she had taken a toy he had lost and watch the staff member assigned to babysit him try to apologize to her without making her brother angrier. She wanted Daddy to groan and set his phone down when she knocked on his door during some important business call. She wanted to go home, but as long as that jerk in purple had Daddy under some psychic spell or whatever she didn't have a home to go back to.

At the same time she felt like it was wrong to give up when she hadn't done what she set out to do. She had to prove herself to Daddy, to show him that she didn't need his help even though she wanted it. She thought awhile before something occurred to her: If she could save Daddy, she would be proving herself for sure. That was the whole point of running away in the first place, and if she could show her worth she would be satisfied.

"You see..."

* * *

Sometimes when she was in her little prison she dreamed, or it felt like dreaming. There was something wrong about it, though. Something tainted. Not bad, per say, but not right. She knew she was in the ball, but she thought she saw her "master's" room or meadows or forests or caves. Sometimes she heard things. Voices whispered just beyond where her ears could catch them or shouted so loudly that she couldn't understand. No matter what the case, when she woke from the bad sleep she could never quite recall what her almost dreams were about. This time was no different.

"-bought her for me when I turned ten," her 'master' was saying as Kit took in her surroundings. She only had time to note that it was fairly dark before the brat scooped her up in her arms. Kit struggled and spat embers, but she was still recovering from the beating that Pinsir had given her. There was only so much a revive could do. She remained trapped while the humans talked.

"I'm still a bit confused." The male said. "Why did you think telling me the truth would cause problems?"

"Because if Daddy found out I ran away I'd get in trouble. I don't care now, though," the girl sniffled. "I just want Daddy to be okay. I'll even let him take me home and lock me in my room or whatever."

Now, Kit didn't know quite what they were talking about, but she understood home just fine. She didn't like the brat, never had, never would, and she liked this little excursion of hers even less. With no humans around to do her 'master's' work for her, Kit was expected to pull all the weight, fighting for her and keeping her warm.

Sure, some of the battling had been fun. The losses to Sandshrew and Pinsir were unpleasant, but at least she got to chase a Bellsprout and set that Tangela on fire. And she got to give her 'master' a good singing at one point, too. That was a memory that she would cherish for a long time to come.

She would rather return to her life of relative luxury, though. Being the brat's personal teddy bear was uncomfortable at times, and always undignified. However, Kit considered hugs and humiliation preferable to dealing with scrapes, sores, bumps, and bruises. Let other Pokémon have their battles. She gladly accepted her domestication.

"Well, I suppose it's good to know what we're fighting for," Reginald said. "I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed that you're giving up. You've got potential, and with some work you could be a great trainer."

Kit snorted at that. It was a miracle when the brat got out of bed. Leaving the house was a step above miraculous. Of course she was giving up. It had only ever been a question of when.

Mari gave a sigh that Kit knew well. It was the same 'poor me' sigh she gave when she was trying to get on her daddy's good side after an especially bad display of brattiness. Kit felt a surge of elation at that, because it could only mean one thing: she would be heading home very soon.

"Family comes first," Reginald said, nodding solemnly.

"Of course, we have to free your father before he can punish you. It's not going to be easy though. We have to get around those brainwashed guards if we want to take the psychic out. Don't get mad at me again." The brat tightened her grip on the Vulpix. "But if you and Kit are going to help we need to go over some strategy."

Kit did not like the sound of that. She didn't want more battles! "Just take me home already," she whined, squirming in her 'master's' arms. The brat didn't seem to care. She just tightened her hold and kept talking to the boy.

The Ampharos walking between the humans shot her a dirty look. "That is just pathetic."

Kit stopped her struggling to glare. She tried to look intimidating, but it wasn't easy in her current position.

"Who are you talking to, wool breath?"

"You. You're just as bad as your trainer."

"I am not!" Kit spat an ember at the yellow Pokémon. The Ampharos dodged with ease. Kit couldn't remember being so insulted in her life. "I don't even want to be here. She's a stuck up brat, and I just got dragged along because she thinks she owns me."

"You both think the world exists to serve you, and you're shocked when it doesn't."

"_I _don't expect the whole world to love me." Kit would _not _be compared to that whiny spoiled little girl. "I just don't expect it to attack me, either."

"You're a pet, not a fighter, clearly," The Ampharos said with a tone of disapproval. "But if you want your lazy life back, you're going to have to earn it."


	12. Love Birds, Heartache, and a Stalker

A group of goldpanners, one shy of a half dozen, home for lunch after their morning labor, traded small talk at the Trough. The Trough was a worn, rusty little shack near the center of Boomtown surrounded by rickety, splintering picnic tables. It was the only place in town where the townsfolk could get together for meals since the Pokémon Center only served trainers. The owner was a codgery old man who either couldn't or wouldn't tell you his name. Most people just called him Cook. He had no sense of personal space and did not take kindly to criticism, and his definition of criticism was broad. Nobody really liked him, but he could turn lean game and sour berries into something appealing, so everyone put on happy faces at meal times lest he raise prices or outright refuse service. It had happened before with passing foreigners, but they usually left town after a few days and he would start cooking again. No one wanted to see what would happen if a local irked him.

The five men and women were seated around one of the larger, sturdier tables waiting for their food. It was never a good idea to rush Cook. He fancied himself an artist, insisting that "perfection takes patience." Impatient customers often found their meals undercooked if they were lucky enough to get a meal at all. Most customers at the Trough were pretty patient, though. They had to be to do the work they did. They were also coworkers and neighbors, so there was usually something to talk about to kill time. The latest talk around town had something to do with Lawrence Digsby and Officer Jenny. The story had gone through a number of people at this point, so it had spawned a few different rumors. The conversation at the table was dominated by a debate over which iteration of the rumor was true.

"I tell you, she was covered in blood, cut to ribbons, an' Digsby was beaten so senseless he had to drag her all the way," one man insisted. "Must be the Ursaring are makin' a comeback."

"Where do you get that nonsense, Ernest?" a man with sideburns scoffed, taking off his hat to scratch his head. "First off, I saw Digsby _carry_ her in the Center, not a drop of blood in sight, and second you know there ain't a Ursaring nest left to come back from after what Donyoku did."

"That's just what the big man wants us to think," said Ernest, shaking his head. The look on his face said 'you should know better.' "He's breeding them somewhere, and eventually they're gonna be strong enough to wipe us off the map."

Everyone groaned. Nobody liked Donyoku, and it was no secret that the businessman wanted Boomtown gone. Ernest was more creative than most when it came to suspicion and supposition, and he was keen to share his theories. He had trouble finding people who wanted to listen, though.

"Are we even on any map, Ernest?" one woman asked with a smirk.

"Yes!" he said indignantly, shaking the table as he jumped to his feet. "We're on the Gym circuit, the-"

"Sit down! She's just messing with you," said an older woman.

"What are sisters for?"

"You oughtn't to take her so seriously," a small man grumbled. "It's not as if you take anything else seriously.  
Ernest muttered something under his breath, but it was drowned out by Cook.

"Soups on!" The obnoxious old man squawked. He kicked open the door to his shack and teetered his way over to the tables, balancing an assortment of dented trays filled to the brim with food and drink. He swayed violently with every step, but no one got up to help him. If they tried he would probably take it as an insult and dump their food deliberately. Cook claimed that he had "discovered the secret to perfect balance" while traveling across Hoenn. No one had believed him at first, but in all his years in Boomtown not a single person had seen him fall. He staggered over to the table and set the trays down with a resounding _clang_. He hovered over his customers, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Lunch time, boys and girls!" He shouted, looking to strike up a conversation. His customers ignored him, focused more on sorting out whose food was whose. The old man stroked his long white beard, tottered around the table, and blurted out, "Find any nuggets down stream?"

Still he was ignored, but his customer's false smiles faltered. Clark, the man with the sideburns, shook his head. Cook frowned, beginning to think he wouldn't get anyone talking until he remembered Ernest.

"Hear the latest gossip?" the old man shouted, leaning across the table.

Ernest was surprisingly unresponsive. His sister, Terry-Ruth, said, "You're too late, Cook. Ernie's already taken a scolding for talkin' nonsense about Jenny and Digsby."

Cook just shook his head and smiled. "No, I'm talking about that strange fellow walking around town. Trying to recruit folks for some such or other."

Ernest sat up straight, eyes wide. "You don't think it could be a Pioneer scout, do you?"

A round of groans passed between his customers; Fran, the older woman, spat up her Oran juice; and Henry, the short man, choked on his meal. Cook knew he'd struck gold.

"The Pioneers are _dead_," the short man growled, sending flecks of egg and biscuit flying. "Donyoku and the League made sure of that. Don't you go getting any ideas, now."

A few seconds was all Ernest needed to think up an elaborate conspiracy theory. Before he could share, a mass of brown feathers swooped down at the table. The startled miners leapt back, sending food, drink, and trays clattering to the ground. The Fearow scooped up whatever it could get with its claws and beak and took off. It wasn't fast enough to escape Cook's wrath, though.

The old man spun away from the mess at the table and tossed out a Pokéball.

"Spinda! Psybeam that thievin' bird." He was furious. Nobody ruined his masterpieces. Nobody!

The cream and orange Pokémon seemed to stumble out of its ball. It sent a beam of psychic energy at the retreating bird. The bird dropped like a stone, too confused to fly straight. It flapped its wings wildly in an attempt to regain some altitude to no avail.

The short man and the younger woman got to their feet, calling on a shaggy old Tauros with a greying mane and a bright green Politoed respectively.

"Crush that Fearow with a body slam!" Cook shouted, teetering back and forth in time with his Pokémon. "Then soak it with a hydro pump!"

"I'll give my own orders, thank you," the short man huffed. "Tauros, horn attack."

"Hydro pump makes sense," Terry-Ruth said grinning. "Say, Cook, you know any good recipes for Fearow?"

"I reckon so," the old man said, stroking his beard.

Spinda socked the flying type with a dizzy punch, knocking a half-eaten sandwich from its beak. It tried to fight back by pecking, but only managed to jam its beak into the ground. The Spinda danced away just as Tauros' shadow loomed over Fearow. The big brown Pokémon hit hard, skewering a wing and forcing a squawk from the bird's beak. Politoed launched its attack, sending the battered bird flying off Tauros' horns.

While the water was painful, it shocked Fearow out of his confusion and put some distance between him and the humans. With the wind under his wings again, he flew as fast as he could. Another stream of water grazed his tail feathers, and he saw a psybeam cut through the hydro pump close behind. He flew higher until the shouts beneath him were distant whispers.

"You try to steal my lunch again, you're gonna _be_ lunch, ya hear?"

Fearow knew it was a bad idea to try taking food from the humans. They hoarded it like Rattata and guarded it with the ferocity of a mother Ursaring protecting her cub. The danger was outweighed by desperation. Food was scarce lately. The forest seemed thinner every day, and fresh berries were hard to come by. He'd been searching for days without luck. He could only hope that what he gripped in his claws would suffice for another week.

The wind under his wings, usually a comfort, now only reminded him of his soreness. His head ached from the psybeam, and his wing stung where the Tauros left its mark. The water on his feathers made his wings feel heavy. To top it all off, his throat still burned from his latest run-in with that tricky yellow flower. When he could find no berries or tree sprouts suitable for his mate to eat, he thought perhaps a flower would do. Now he saw why her kind didn't look for food on the ground.

It was all worth it for her, though. He was looking forward to seeing her again, even if he had little to show for his foraging. She was funny looking, small with green feathers and a yellow beak, and she had an odd distaste for bugs and rodents, but she was good company and her roost was safe and secluded. It was funny to think that not so long ago she was little more than a bargain to him. When he first wandered upon the little cave where she and her mother nested he had been cold and lonely, a Spearow without a flock. The mother had offered him a home and a mate if he would feed them, and he had jumped at the chance. At first they were nothing but means to an end, but he came to see that they were very similar to him. They too had been abandoned (for their odd coloring, he assumed), and their flock left in search of a forest unmolested by humans. He grew close to his surrogate flock, providing for loved ones rather than for a place to stay. When he evolved, they shared in his joy, and he knew that they were truly family. By the time the mother passed she was his mother, too, and he mourned her loss with his mate.

As soon as he saw the familiar jagged rocks that marked home he felt a sense of relief wash over him. He did not see the fresh-carved hole in the mountainside, as he was too busy thinking about food. He might not have much, but they would make it work. They always had. He would show her his meager find, and she would thank him and heal his wounds. Then they would eat and rest and the next day he would return to the hunt. It was better, he thought, than hunting only to feed himself. He was not just surviving, but living for something.

He landed beside a tiny outcropping and hopped through a crevice into the little hole he called home. He was confused when she did not greet him. He called to her, but there was no reply beyond his own echo. A sudden breeze drew his attention to a dark hole in the wall. The pit in his stomach deepened as he peered through to see only darkness. He called to her again, and again there was no reply.

Where could she be? In all their time together she had never left home before. Perhaps he had been gone too long, and she left in search of food. No, he had been gone longer than this before, and she had always been patient. He eyed the hole in the wall and a darker thought occurred to him. Had a predator found its way into their home? He shook his head, banishing the thought. No! There was no sign of a struggle, no blood or feathers. That couldn't be it. She was okay, she had to be, but where was she?

He caught a glimmer in the corner of his eye and turned to the nest. A shimmering orb the size of a pebble rested among twigs and pieces of cloth. He had seen it before when his mate cured him of the day's wounds and fatigue. She called it a wish. When he asked her what that meant, she told him it was a prayer to her ancestors for good health.  
There was something odd about this one, though. He could see little images in the pebble, dancing across its surface and through its center in a way that made his head hurt. He moved closer to get a better look, and suddenly he could see it all as if he was with her. He felt warm thoughts and memories for an instant, but something else pushed them away. There was a terrible thing, a voice, and it belonged to a human, or many humans. The humans took her away to she-didn't-know-where, and she reached out to him. She called to him to find her and bring her home.

His senses snapped back to the present. Peering into the wish left him feeling disoriented, but he also felt refreshed. He noted gladly that his wing no longer bled from the Tauros attack, and his slight dizziness was nothing compared to the headache the psybeam had caused him earlier.

He took a moment to think about what he had seen through the wish, and it filled him with anger. Humans had caused him more pain in the past day than ever before. Perhaps they were justified in fighting for their food's sake, but to hurt someone as innocent as his mate, to drag her from her nest when she had done them no wrong, that was inexcusable.

With rage burning fresh in his heart, Fearow took off through the hole in the wall, down the tunnel carved by the men's machines to rescue his mate and teach her captors a lesson.

* * *

Deeper in the cave, in a tunnel that still reeked faintly of excrement, Ms. Hart pondered her predicament. She wished she could discuss her thoughts with Soomwa and Dennis, but there was a risk the children would hear. The girl was still arguing with Dennis while the big one with the beard distracted the little one with a story about his grandfather witnessing giant birds hurl fire and storms at each other. She wondered briefly how much of it was true, then tuned out the kids to think about the real dilemma.

Mar Lan had created quite a mess. Ms. Hart had argued against using her as a guinea pig, but the Director had insisted that the position required someone, "both capable and expendable." Well, Lan was certainly capable, wasn't she? Now the Project Transcendence team was stranded and scattered across some alien, albeit remarkably familiar, landscape. So far they'd only managed to find one other member of the project team. The others remained lost and potentially irretrievable. She hoped none of her coworkers were alone like Dennis had been, but it seemed likely. While she had been lucky enough to end up near Soomwa in the mining town, they hadn't seen anyone else familiar in or around the small settlement. Ms. Hart worried that the others might not be able to find their way back to the anomaly. Soomwa seemed to have faith in his fellow scientists, though, and that gave her all the reason she needed for optimism. And if they were the only ones to find the anomaly, they would just have to return with a proper rescue party.

While the thought of abandoning any of her colleagues was distressing, Ms. Hart couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the thought that Soomwa wouldn't mind labeling Tret Xu as MIA. Those two really did loathe each other, to the point that Soomwa was worried Xu might try to leave the rest of the team behind if he got the chance. Hart honestly wouldn't be surprised. The businessman had earned his reputation as a glory-hound, a backstabber and a survivalist, after all. If he thought he could profit from something, he would do it.

Despite all the negatives, this was an opportunity for hands on exploration, and at least they had ended up somewhere habitable. After Lan's tampering, the anomaly could have spat them out just about anywhere. Barren tundra, acidic marshland, even the vacuum of space. The fact that they'd ended up somewhere with a human population, and near a small town no less, was nothing short of miraculous. Assuming that some horrific disease or unusual gas in the atmosphere wasn't slowly killing them, they were lucky.

Sometimes she envied Kakhun Keghun. Soomwa's hulking right hand man would be completely isolated from this potentially dangerous environment. Granted, he needed his suit to survive in just about _any_ environment, and Victor had implied that Keghun's respirator was compromised, so now probably wasn't the best time to be him. Still, a full body hazard suit would be reassuring.

She wondered, not for the first time, what Soomwa thought of this whole ordeal. He was far more passionate about the project than she was, and far less passionate about anything else. His work was his life, and she knew failure was devastating to him. When the Director announced Project Transcendence, Soomwa had jumped at the chance to work in unknown territory, to open new frontiers both figurative and literal. Xu's involvement was a minor blow to his ego, but the project had weathered that storm. When the Director said that Xu and Soomwa would receive only honorable mentions for their work, Hart thought Soomwa would scream. Mar Lan's little setback must have felt like a punch to the gut, but he didn't let it show. He didn't let any of it show. Skiis Soomwa remained confident, forging onward even in the face of insurmountable odds. If anyone could salvage the project, it was him.

Though his focus and dedication were admirable qualities, she did wish he could turn his attention to other matters once in a while. Her affection for him went completely unnoticed. Any romantic advance either went over his head or earned her a reprimand for "distracting behavior" or "unprofessional attire." Of course, in her more extreme attempts she earned plenty of attention, but from the wrong eyes. Soomwa saw her as nothing more than a valued colleague.  
Not that she didn't appreciate her position as his assistant. It felt good to work closely with him, to not only see his genius firsthand, but to be involved in his research. He trusted no one else so absolutely, except perhaps Keghun. Still, she wanted more than his trust and respect. She wanted his love.

Just as she was drifting into a day dream, a startled shout jarred her from her thoughts.

"Arceus!" Darius, the source of the noise, was now trying to block Winn's view of something. He was large enough that Winn couldn't see past him, but the curious child was also quick. When Darius tried to grab him, he darted around the larger boy with ease.

"What's the secret?" Winn stopped dead in his tracks. He was confused, or perhaps stunned. Whatever the case he only managed to stammer a short "What?" Alma rushed over to the boy while Darius stood nearby shaking his head.  
Hart looked to her colleagues, wondering what had the children acting so strangely. Dennis wore a look of disgust, to her surprise; He was usually good at concealing his emotions. Soomwa's face was a mix of pity and disappointment. Both men were looking at the same point. She followed their gaze and gasped.

There on the cave floor, lying in a tattered, bloodied heap was a man Hart had known and worked with for three years, or at least part of him. His legs were missing, severed cleanly below the knee. His face was to the ceiling, eyes wide with shock, mouth agape. His chest was still, the rise and fall of breath absent.

"Terrence Burke," Soomwa said, a touch of sadness in his voice.  
"What could have done this?" Alma asked, awestruck.

"Maybe it was the 'monster' your lost friend was so frantic about," Dennis muttered.

Winn whimpered. The poor kid was scared enough as it was, worrying about his brother. (Hart did regret abandoning Victor, but it was for the greater good.) Now he had to cope with thoughts of grizzly corpses and monsters. Alma tried to comfort him with a tight hug and warm words. Darius muttered something to himself, still shaking his head.  
"I suppose the bat crap masked the smell," Dennis remarked flatly.

Hart flashed him a sharp glare through her tears and delivered a swift elbow to his ribs. Dennis Fris was a clever man, but he treated his equals like dirt. Whenever possible she tried to return the favor. Though Soomwa usually turned a blind eye to his subordinate's ignorance, Hart was pleased to see him take notice this once.

"Really, Mister Fris. There are children present," Soomwa hissed through clenched teeth. "I would rather we keep up appearances lest they grow suspicious."

"Yes sir." Dennis spared a moment to return Hart's glare and brought a hand to his sore side. "Does this look like Mar's work?" he whispered. "I've heard stories-"

"Nevermind what you've heard," said Soomwa dismissively. "Even if Lan could tear a man limb from limb, she could never do it so smoothly. If anything, she killed him indirectly by tampering with the Soomwa Device. I believe Mister Burke lost his legs in a wall."

"What?" Dennis asked, one eyebrow raised quizzically.

"No time for that now," Soomwa said. He turned to address the children with a somber expression. Alma kept her composure for Winn's sake, but she was clearly disturbed.

"Is he," The girl hesitated. "Is there anything you can do?"

Soomwa sighed. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for Terrence. He was a good man, dedicated to his work, and well loved by his colleagues."

Hart suppressed a sigh of her own. She understood that the eulogy was for the children's sake, but she would prefer it without the blatant lies. Soomwa barely knew the man. Hart, on the other hand, made it her business to know every member of the project team. She didn't want him dead, but there wasn't much to like about him. Burke was not a team player. He frequently refused to share his research with anyone but his direct superior. His lack of cooperation might have put the project months behind schedule if she hadn't threatened to go to the Director. Even so, his contributions were essential. He deserved to be remembered properly, as both an incredible scientist and a stubborn jerk, not just another faceless model employee. It was a minor comfort that Soomwa's words carried some truth.

"He did not deserve to die, and he would not want the same fate to befall those still lost." His expression hardened, sadness replaced by a solid determination. "The time for mourning is later. Right now we must focus on the living and hasten our search."

Alma took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right." The slight quiver in her voice vanished. "Your friends need our help. So what are we waiting for?"

"I just don't understand," said Darius, eyes glistening with restrained tears. "My grandfather saw many things on his adventures. He spoke of fierce Pokémon and vicious battles, but I have never heard of anything quite so... violent."  
Dennis scoffed. "I'm sure your granddad took some liberties censoring his stories for children's ears. This isn't some fairy tale. This is reality. People die."

It took an immense effort to resist slapping him for that. Hart would have to punish him properly later, but now was not the time to start a fight. "I think what Dennis means to say is that your grandfather may have romanticized his experiences and left out a few grim details."

"What I mean to say is-" Dennis growled, but Winn cut him off.

"What about Victor?" the boy demanded, wiping his eyes and sniffling. "What if the thing that did this finds him?"  
Hart felt terrible for the child, she really did, but there was nothing she could do for him. The truth was, his brother and the little girl were probably hopelessly lost in that collapsed tunnel. Even if they did somehow find their way back to the group, the children would be abandoned as soon as the device was recovered. An unfortunate but necessary sacrifice, as Soomwa put it.

Alma, unaware of her own fate, was able to think more optimistically. She knelt down to look Winn in the eye, meeting his puffy eyes and quivering lip with a soft gaze and a reassuring smile.

"Your brother's a good trainer," she said. "I've seen him fight, and I know he has potential. He can protect himself. He'll be fine. Okay?"

Alma wiped a stray tear off his cheek and he nodded. She gave him another hug, then got back to her feet.

"Well, your brother isn't going to find himself. Are you ready to go?"

Winn sniffled one last time before nodding. "Yeah," he mumbled. He turned to Darius with a pleading look. "Can you tell me another story?"

The rotund adventurer ran a shaky hand through his hair and turned away from the body. He was clearly having trouble coping with the situation. When he addressed the ten year old his tone was apologetic. "Sorry, Winn. I need a moment to… collect my thoughts."

"I think I might have a story or two," Alma said, giving Darius an understanding look.

Alma took the lead with Winn on one side and her living lantern (Dunsparce, was it?) on the other. Skiis and Dennis trailed close behind. Soomwa was reluctant to follow anyone, but he wasn't going to wander ahead in the dark. Hart joined her colleagues while Darius stayed at the rear. She noted sadly that everyone seemed to have moved on from Burke's tragic death; The girl was telling some story about a surfing rodent to the boy, who giggled, while her fellow scientists were whispering about the extent of Mar Lan's tampering and the probability of further casualties. Only she and Darius seemed to care, and it made her feel worse.

"Ms. Hart," Soomwa whispered. She looked up expectantly, hoping to find some comfort in his attention. She was disappointed. "You're not a child," he chastised with a disdainful look. "You need to set a better example and focus on the big picture. I expect more from you."

"Yes sir," she whispered back, struggling to hold back tears.

* * *

Victor and Emily walked in silence. The only noise was the echoing of their footsteps, and the only light came from Victor's Pokégear. If it weren't for their dim surroundings, Victor didn't think she would be standing so close to him. As it was, she hadn't spoken to him for the past twenty minutes. She wasn't all that friendly to begin with, and his mistake with Pyra had put her into a particularly foul mood. If he had known burning poop smelled so bad he _never_ would have tried to use Pyra to light the way. Now it was too late. Even with the Golbat cave behind them, the smell lingered on their clothes and in the air, and Emily remained stoically silent.

So far Victor had failed miserably to pry her from her shell. He'd have better luck with a Cloyster. Still, he had to try. He wanted someone to talk to, needed a distraction from his thoughts and fears. But what was there to talk about?  
Talking about finding the others would only remind them both of the problems the conversation was supposed to help them forget. He'd tried bringing up how she came to Yamasan, and all she said was "I walked." He asked whether she was interested in the League, but her only response was "Duh."

He looked around for anything to talk about. Rock? Boring. Why would he even consider that? Pokégear? No, she didn't have much, and judging from the super rod incident, she wouldn't appreciate reminders. Pyra? Maybe he could ask her about her Pokémon. Sure, she didn't want to talk about it with the others. She didn't even want it out of its ball. Now that it was out of its ball anyway...

"You don't sound like you're from Hoenn. Did you get that Sableye from traveling or a family member or-"

"None of your business," she said curtly. If anything she sounded more annoyed with him.

"I was just curious," Victor sighed, giving up.

"I don't care," Emily replied. "I don't care about your life, and you shouldn't care about mine. Stop. Asking. Questions."

Without any distraction to keep his mind occupied, Victor's thoughts quickly turned to his friends on the other side of the cave-in, particularly Winn. Would they really be able to find them again? Dennis sounded pretty confident, but he had been wandering around in the dark before they found him. There was a chance that he had no idea what he was talking about, but if that was the case the situation was completely hopeless. They would just have to trust him. The alternative was too awful to think about.

Of course once he started he couldn't stop thinking about it. His brother trapped in a big, twisted cave network, wandering around alone in the dark, tired and hungry. Sure, Alma and Darius and the archaeologists were with him, but what good would they be when the food ran out? And what if something tried to make a meal out of them? Those Golbat might not stand a chance against Alli, but it would only take one to slip past and suck Winn dry. There were plenty of other dangerous Pokémon to worry about. Professor Lime had recorded Parasect, Geodude and Graveler, and even an Onix once. Not to mention that _monster_. If it ran into them, he wasn't sure even a Feraligatr would be enough to stop it. Even worse, what if it found him and Emily? Machoke barely survived his fight with it. Pyra and Sableye wouldn't stand a chance.

"Hey!"

Emily's shout jolted Victor from his thoughts. His startled response was a step backward that sent a sharp pain through his injured leg.

"Calm down," said Emily, rolling her eyes at Victor's groaning. "We're here."

They'd passed the open area where they found Dennis a while ago and now they found themselves at the fork in the tunnel. The light from the Pokégear glinted off the mine cart rails that stretched out into darkness and shards of glass that littered the ground from light bulbs broken during the quake.

Victor immediately returned Pyra so that she wouldn't get her paws cut up. Sableye didn't share such concerns. While Victor and Emily's footsteps were now accompanied by the sound of breaking glass, the ghost was as silent as ever. The impish purple Pokémon snapped its gemlike eyes toward a barely audible giggle and flashed another razor-toothed grin. Of course they were still being followed.

Victor wondered if ghosts ever got tired. Professor Lime once told him that ghost types were more mysterious than legends in some ways. Obviously they could be hurt by some attacks, but how did that even work? They were already dead, or something like that. They must get tired after a tough battle, he thought, though he had heard of some that never slept.

It suddenly dawned on him just how tired he was. His Pokégear told him he'd been walking nearly half a day, and his injury wasn't helping. Remembering what Darius had said earlier, Victor remarked, "It's too bad we can't use one of those mine carts. Sure would make things easier."

"That's stupid," Emily said. "Darius has no clue what he's talking about. Besides, it wouldn't do us any good going up hill."

"Oh." Victor felt his face go red. "I guess you're right."

The words had barely left his mouth when a noise caught his attention. A faint screech echoed down the tunnel. It sounded almost like a Golbat. At first he thought he'd imagined it, but Sableye seemed to notice, too. Its grin vanished as it gazed into the dark.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Victor paused. Emily only stopped when she couldn't see any further. Sableye stalked away, oblivious to the lack of lighting.

Silence.

"What are-"

Emily stopped mid-question as another screech echoed down the tunnel, this one was louder. Or maybe closer.

"Did you-"

"I heard it."

"Do you think it's a Golbat or something?"

Another screech. This one sounded much closer, like it was only a few feet away.

"No."

She shoved him hard, sending him flailing backward. He tripped on a rail and crashed to the ground with a startled shout. Glass crunched beneath his backpack and scratched at his arms and legs. A sudden rush of wind sent glass shards flying, tinkling like wind chimes as they collided with the walls and floor. Victor glimpsed a boxy figure shooting down the tunnel before the dark swallowed it. Sparks briefly illuminated the thing as it rounded the corner at the fork in the tunnel.

"Mine carts," Emily said, glaring at him as she brushed pulverized glass out of her hair and off her clothes. "You just _had_ to bring them up, didn't you?"

"It's not my fault one came whizzing down the tracks at us!" A burst of laughter made him rethink that statement.  
Sableye reappeared, lunging out of the dark at its trainer's side. There was a shriek and Misdreavus darted for the edge of the light. The little ghost turned and winked before vanishing.

"Why does it want you dead?" Emily asked, sounding more annoyed than concerned.

"I don't know," Victor sighed. "I think she wants me to suffer. Professor Lime told me some ghost types feed off of negative emotions." He looked nervously at Sableye. "Yours doesn't-"

"Rocks. It eats rocks."

"Oh. Good." Victor got shakily to his feet and was about to ask about first aid when something occurred to him. It was silly, but he thought it might lighten the mood. "I thought you didn't care, but now you're the one asking questions."

"I _don't_ care," she spat. "But when it affects me I need to know." Sableye grinned at his trainer. "Shut up."

Misdreavus circled the trio. She couldn't claim her meal thanks to that pesky Sableye. (She could still feel those eyes on her even in the darkest corners the cave had to offer). All the same, she was enjoying the appetizer.


	13. Carve Your Own Path

Tret Xu was beginning to think that the lunch break was a bad idea. If it weren't for his own appetite he never would have let those idiots talk him into a detour. Granted, he had been pretty hungry, and the food Thane and Zane brought along was surprisingly edible, but now that his stomach was full he was anxious to get moving again.

The brothers were in no hurry. They had produced a tattered white and red checkered blanket from the backpack and spread it out on the ground. Ol' Reliable sat in the center, bathing the whole cave in light. On the blanket they arranged a variety of fruits and meats, most of which looked somewhat familiar to Xu. He assumed he wouldn't keel over if he ate some, but he still waited for them to take the first bite, just in case.

From what Xu could tell they were enjoying their little picnic. Even as they stuffed their faces, they took their time picking apart their meals. He couldn't be sure if they were just savoring the food or trying to spite him. Either way, he could practically hear the seconds ticking by while they gorged themselves; that was time Xu didn't have to waste. He was well familiarized with the old saying, "time is money." In this case time was far more valuable than all the money in the world. Mar Lan could be hot on his heels and closing the gap for all he knew. At least they seemed to be running out of food.

"You sure you don't want some more, Mr. Xu?" Zane asked between mouthfuls of what looked like roast duck. "We ain't probably gonna find us another Farfetch'd any time soon."

"No. Just hurry it up. I don't have all day."

"More for us, then," Thane said, snatching the last leg. "Farfetch'd're hard to come by, y'know, an' it ain't easy to cook 'em right neither."

"Least they come with ingred'jents," Zane chuckled, twirling a leek between his fingers. "They're practic'ly askin' for it." He broke some bite-sized pieces off the leek and tossed them in his mouth with a handful of blue berries. He paused in thought for a moment, a puzzled look plastered on his face, before he spoke again, mouth still full. "You s'pose they want us to eat 'em?" He asked, juice from the berries dribbling down his chin.

Thane looked at his brother with a blank stare that screamed /are you really that stupid/? "No, you idjot!" he snapped. "If they was tryin' to be eaten, why'd they run when we try to catch 'em?"

"S'pose they want to make sure they're good 'n lean for us," Zane said, defending his theory. "They got to get some exercise 'fore they die!"

"I worry 'bout you sometimes," Thane muttered.

Xu took in the whole scene with a neutral expression. Zane, with his berry-blue stained beard and teeth, towered over a red-faced Thane brandishing a little Farfetch'd bone like a club. They looked about ready to turn their shouting match into a food fight. It might have been amusing if he wasn't relying on these two to keep him alive. They were his only ticket home, and that was nearly as frightening as Mar Lan hunting him down.

A faint noise caught his attention, and Xu whipped around to look down the unlit tunnel, weapon at the ready. It sounded like a pained cry. He listened intently, trying to tune out the brothers arguing behind him. He heard it again, faint but distinctly human. Judging by the high pitch it was probably a woman. Xu's first instinct was to turn tail and run, but he didn't want to pass up any valuable opportunities.

"Hush, both of you!" Xu whispered harshly.

The bickering brothers stopped immediately, eyes locked on the little black device in their boss' hand. The incident with their new Rhyhorn burned as fresh in their memories as the mark on the beast's face. If they were more observant they might have noticed his white-knuckled grip on the gun or his darting eyes or the way his voice cracked when he ordered them silent. As it was, the gun was enough incentive for them to behave.

"What's up, Mr. Xu?" Zane asked, curiosity besting his sense of self-preservation.

"I said hush!"

Mar Lan, if it really was her, cried out again. Who else could it be? Whoever she was, from the sound of it she was definitely in pain. Two possibilities sprung to Xu's mind: One, Lan could be trying to catch him off guard, in which case he'd be walking into an ambush. Two, she really was injured and he'd be an idiot not to take this chance to finish her off. A brief internal debate was all it took to decide that he'd rather take the chance and be rid of her than keep looking over his shoulder.

"What was that?" Thane muttered, trying to place the noise. Xu ignored him.

"Turn that thing off," Xu hissed, waving his free hand at Ol' Reliable.

Thane didn't question him. Xu could see the hate simmering in his red-faced leer, but it was tempered by fear and a hint of respect. The elder brother complied. Muttering something to Ol' Reliable, he pocketed the dimming red and white ball. Zane, clueless as a squirrel on a freeway, had more trouble grasping the situation.

"We can't see nothin' now."

"And nothing can see us," Xu replied. He didn't share that disadvantage. The path before him shone an eerie gray through the scope of his weapon. One of the handy features it boasted was an infrared sensor. The image it provided was in hazy, muddled shades of gray, so he had to tread carefully to avoid tripping on uneven ground. While he couldn't pick out the subtleties of the terrain, a human heat signature would stand out in stark white contrast. The moment Mar Lan was in his line of sight, she was as good as gone.

As he moved silently forward, Xu felt a sense of nostalgia nipping at the back of his mind. He'd been behind a desk for far too long. He'd been in the thick of things once; not just giving orders, but taking action. He had memories of staring down big game through that little lens. It had been decades since one of his guns was used for sport. Those were simpler times.

Sometimes he yearned for the days before the masters' war, when his business existed solely for his own benefit. However, survival called for adaptability. When restrictions on big game hunting tightened, he developed nonlethal methods of capture. His customers could still enjoy the thrill of the hunt without risking heavy fines and jail time. He doubled the profits when he decided to buy out some zoos and turned the things into catch-and-release reservations. (Xu's Zoos. /That/ was a catchy name. Soomwa-Xu be damned.)

When the masters brought with them sweeping change, he let himself be swept up in it. They demanded weapons and he supplied them. Of all his business ventures the most lucrative was undeniably weapons manufacturing, and the masters were frequent buyers. A recent lull in demand brought with it falling profits, but peacekeeping efforts ensured the continued need for bullets and shock grenades. It was good business, but Xu looked forward to the day when his investment in the masters would pay off. The war would be over and he would retire to bask in his hard-earned wealth and fame. Maybe he'd even use some of that free time to go hunting again.

Heavy footfalls brought Xu's attention back to the matter at hand. The brothers were stomping along behind him, oblivious to the noise they were making. No wonder they had so much trouble finding Farfetch'd and whatever else they hunted. He might have noticed earlier if it weren't for the explosions and fearing for his life . Now that they weren't shouting and blowing things up, though, it was rather conspicuous. That wouldn't do at all if he was going to get the jump on Lan.

"You two wait here. Don't move a muscle, y'hear?" Xu said.

There was a brief silence before Zane asked, "Can we move so's to say we heard you?"

"Shut up and stand still," Xu ordered. "I'll be back in a few minutes." If at all, he thought morbidly.

Xu was a proud man, he could not deny, but he wasn't overly confident about going up against Mar Lan. Underestimating her was what got him into his current predicament, and he wasn't about to make the same mistake again. Even if she was injured, she was still dangerous. Perhaps even more so, given the old 'backed into a corner' mindset. Xu never really learned what Soomwa and his merry band of mad scientists had done to her, but he knew the end result: she was a living weapon. She was more lethal with a paperclip than anything his engineers and factories could produce, or so Soomwa would have him believe. The official reports weren't for Xu's eyes, but he'd seen her in action once or twice. She was dangerous, but far from invincible. With only one shot, though, Xu would have to take her by surprise. If it came down to a fist fight he was a dead man.

He could tell he was getting closer. He could almost tell what she was saying; the words were just barely lost in the air between them. The pain rang through, though, clear as a bell. It certainly sounded authentic.

A splotch of white dotted the scope and Xu's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He took a moment to steady his breathing before continuing forward. With each step he fought the urge to cringe. To him the footsteps were little louder than a pin dropping, but to her it might be a ton of bricks. Did she hear him coming? Was she expecting him? The white shape in the scope hadn't moved except to grow larger as he approached. He could distinguish the head from the rest of the prone figure, but he needed to get a bit closer. He couldn't risk missing.

He only managed a few steps. A pebble went skittering forward and he froze up like a deer in the headlights.

"What was that?" Mar Lan's head turned toward him. There was panic in her voice.

Cursing under his breath, he took the shot. The cave was bathed in red light. The image in the scope went white from the heat of the weapon's discharge, but a scream confirmed he'd hit his mark.

When the scream faded, the sound of shallow breathing and sobbing puzzled him. That wasn't right. He'd definitely hit her. She should be dead. He moved in to finish her off, but he hesitated. He didn't mind the thought of getting his hands dirty, but he couldn't help remembering the last time he was within striking distance of her. Vividly. Painfully. Perhaps the idiots could help him out.

"Thane! Zane! Get over here!" Xu shouted. "And turn that light on!"

Almost immediately Ol' Reliable flashed to life, filling the narrow passageway with light. The brothers rushed toward him, feet slapping the ground hard. It was definitely a good idea to leave them behind, assuming he'd actually caught her off guard. Suspicion swelled in him. Knowing Lan, even as little as he did, it was a miracle they hadn't given him away earlier, and Xu didn't believe in miracles. All the more reason to have those two test the waters before he dove in.

"What's goin' on?" Thane asked. "Me an' Zane, we don't like bein' left in the dark."

"Lit'rally or figur'tive-like," Zane added.

There was determination in the way they spoke, a challenge that hadn't been there before. Perhaps they had been talking in his absence. Leaving them alone had allowed them a chance to trade complaints, and now they felt confident enough to confront him. He thought he was through with that when they saw what his gun could do. Clearly he was mistaken. He would just have to put them in their place.

"Let me worry about what's going on. Right now, I need you to-"

"We're worryin' 'bout it right now, actually," Thane cut in. He walked up to Xu, beady eyes glaring at him.

"You'll worry about it if and when I tell you to worry about it," Xu said. Maybe he'd been too lenient with them. He made a point to bring the gun up to Thane's red face. The muzzle was still hot, and Thane winced as the metal grazed his cheek. Before he could step back, Xu grabbed his shoulder and spun him toward Mar Lan. "Until then, I need you two to take care of that."

"What do you want us to do?" Thane asked through grit teeth. He seemed to be getting the message.

"Blow it up or-"

"Or what?"

Xu didn't respond. He was too busy trying to process what he was seeing.

"That's not right."

He walked toward the injured woman lying on the cave floor. The woman he'd shot. A woman with blond hair, not black, wearing a white coat. A woman he'd seen before, turning dials or monitoring readouts or something of that nature. A woman who was not Mar Lan. He picked up the pace.

Thane and Zane followed close behind, thoughts of rebellion quashed for the time being. They traded near identical looks of puzzlement, confirming their mutual cluelessness.

Xu skidded to a halt next to the woman he'd shot. Thane and Zane stumbled into him with a pair of "Oof!"s at the sudden stop. Ignoring them, he knelt down to inspect the damage: a nasty burn around a bleeding hole in her right shoulder (in a dark corner of his mind Xu noted that he needed a refresher course at the shooting range) and a stump of a wrist poorly bandaged with cloth where her left hand ought to be. She was still gasping for air and tears ran down her face.

A gasp drew Xu's attention, and he spun around reaching for a shock grenade and holding the empty gun as if he were ready to fire. If this was Lan's ambush, he could at least try to intimidate her.

"Please don't-" There was a figure huddled in the corner, arms crossed protectively in front of her face. Her black hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her lab coat was torn and her hands were bloody. Clearly not Mar Lan. She slowly unfurled from her position on the floor, a mix of shock and accusation on her face as if he'd slapped her. "Xu? Son of a- What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Shoulda' spoke up sooner," Xu said, lowering his weapon.

The traces of fear vanished and the scientist adopted a more professional demeanor. She marched over to her fallen colleague. She tore another strip of cloth from her coat and wrapped it around her colleagues shoulder. The injured woman cried out as the cloth pressed against her fresh injury, but at least it slowed the bleeding.

"What were you doing firing at us in the dark?" she asked angrily.

"I thought she was someone else," Xu said, hiding the relief from his voice. He felt bad for shooting the woman, but he felt worse that his aim was so far off. If it had been Lan he'd be dead.

"You shot her?" Zane asked, alarmed. Thane seemed to have caught on already, as he'd been glaring warily at Xu. He was more fearful than angry, a change that Xu welcomed.

"What happened to her hand?" Xu asked, ignoring the brothers.

"She lost it. I'm not sure how. It was pitch black in here until you came along. I think I preferred the dark," she said snidely. The scientist finished tending to her injured companion. She looked first to Xu then to Thane and Zane. There was a question in her eyes. "Who are they?"

"Who are you?" Thane shot back. The woman didn't seem too keen to answer. She and Thane traded glares. Hers was icy and debasing, looking down on him like something under a microscope. His was full of fire; he was fuming with impotent rage. Their staring contest lasted for a good ten seconds before Xu cut in.

"Hired help. Nothing to worry about," said Xu. "They're gonna get us home, isn't that right boys?"

The brothers were nervous and confused now. Thane was trying to look intimidating. He stood like a statue, arms crossed, but his squinted beady eyes gave away his fear. Zane wasn't trying to hide anything. He was just plain confused, scratching his thick head with a berry-stained hand. Neither brother answered Xu.

"Break's over!" he snapped, making the brothers jump. He gestured down the tunnel with his gun. "Pick up your picnic and get back to work!"

"How do you expect them to find the anomaly?" the scientist asked.

"I know the way," Xu said with a confidence he didn't quite feel. He knew they were heading in the general direction of the anomaly, but the occasional twist and turn had him second guessing the path they were taking. "We're heading in the right direction."

"You'd better be right about this," the scientist said as Thane and Zane raced back the way they'd come. "because if she dies, it's on your head."

* * *

The Ambassador was deaf to the whirring drill, to the broken rock bouncing off of the trucks with the pitter-patter of hail stones and smashing on the ground, to the groans of the husks of men beside him, and the urgent beeping from the dashboard. He was blind to the spinning metal and cutting lasers reducing solid rock to pebbles and powder, to the lights flashing in the cab of the truck warning of overheating equipment, and the meat puppets slouched at his sides. His full attention was focused on the bird in his lap.

It was difficult to keep his grip on the bird. His mental fingers slipped over its mind like water on down feathers. Though it could not consciously fight his influence, its sleeping mind erected walls impenetrable to his prying eyes. Such an intricate labyrinth of thought was difficult to breach. It took such concentration just to keep it still in his lap that he was forced to leave behind several of the security men. Maintaining control of the extra minds had been too taxing.  
For the sake of caution he left them with orders to defend their position. He was fairly confident that no one was following him anymore, but it wouldn't do to simply throw away available resources. If the brats had survived somehow, they would be delayed at the least.

The bird twitched, green feathers standing on end. It was making another subconscious attempt to regain control of its body. He smoothed the ruffled feathers with a firm hand, at the same time brushing aside its pitiful resistance with a thought. It had a potent mind, but it was all raw, untamed and wild. It only responded to stimuli, involuntary and impulsive. The power of a god in the body of an animal. If he could only breach its defenses he could turn that power against it. He could turn those defensive walls into a prison. Then, with its volition in chains, that power would be his to command. His influence would expand tenfold.

He probed the walls of the labyrinth with renewed vigor, greedy hands reaching out in search of the proper path. The defenses seemed to grow more elaborate the further he breached. A few times he thought he'd finally broken through, but the power was not there. He seemed to have entered the conscious parts of its mind; these were not as heavily guarded. He could grasp the bird's thoughts and memories at times, observe them. They were strangely... human? No, they were complex, more so than most animals, but it was not quite human.

Regardless of its apparent awareness, he was searching for something else. The power would not be found in some memory. It would be deep in its- her?- subconscious mind.

He felt a strange sensation. A sudden assertion of will from the bird's conscious mind. Perhaps it -she- had not appreciated his intrusion.

No. She -it, he persisted- did not.

The bird in his lap twitched again, this time lifting a wing. He forced it back into place, but it -she- used the distraction to push against his prying mind's eye. For an instant she was in his -it's, she mocked- mind, rummaging through its -his!- thoughts.

He severed the connection violently. It was like slamming a door on his own fingers. He cried out, hands jumping to his aching head. The security men and their employer shared his anguish, doubling over and screaming. Even the bird screeched in pain, though he could swear he detected a hint of satisfaction in its unfocused eyes.

Distracted as he was, the Ambassador hardly noticed the bump in the road, and the faint scream was lost to the drill and the symphony of pain the bird had just conducted.

He would resume his search later. If he tried again so soon, he feared he might loose the reins on the security men. He was still reeling from his surprise at the bird's retaliation. He hadn't met such resistance since Mar Lan's interrogation, and he had /never/ had anyone invade his mind. Such power. It exceeded his initial estimation. When it was his, there would be no stopping him.

For a fleeting moment he wondered how his colleagues were faring. With any luck he would meet them at the anomaly. If not, he was sure he could figure things out for himself.

* * *

It was dark.

He clawed at the rock walls, his only guide in the lightless tunnel. He stumbled over the uneven terrain and the occasional small organism. He could not be certain what sort of animals they were, or if they were animals at all. At times a fungal odor seeped into his nostrils, but the shriek that accompanied the squelching beneath his boots suggested otherwise. He could not see. His eyes were useless, as useless as the filter that was keeping him alive.

Oh, it was doing enough to keep him moving, but it wouldn't be enough in the long term. The clean air reserves were depleted long ago. He was forced to rely on the damaged filtration system. The patches were insufficient. Dirty air was bleeding through, and he had no means to replace the tubes. He could feel the unfiltered air burning in his throat with each ragged breath. The poison was clogging his lungs, settling there like sand at the bottom of an hourglass. He was the countdown to his own demise.

He had found a man early on, wandering in the dark. He thought it might be his master, but the man tried to flee when he approached. He tried to follow, grabbed him, and found himself flying again, but without the magnificent light. In daylight he quickly realized it was not Soomwa. He tried to attack the imposter then, but he was driven back into the dark by the gray-skinned creature that had severed his air supply.

Since then, he had been running for what must have been days without food or water or sunlight. Soon he would be running without air. When he could run no farther he would crawl. It did not matter. Pain, fear, thirst, hunger, fatigue. It was all background noise buzzing in his skull. Like a fly at an orchestra, it would not, could not, distract him from his duty. He needed to find his master.

A faint glow caught his attention. It stood out like the moon in the night sky. He staggered toward it, useless eyes wide with recognition behind his mask. He had seen it before, at the heart of the black machine, before it blossomed, blinding him and warping white walls and tile floor to stone. He knew he was close, so close to salvation. Soomwa had built the machine. He would be there, waiting.

The black sphere sat in the center of a large chamber. Its lightly pulsing heart cast the only light. He was confused by Soomwa's absence. The computer stations surrounding the machine had been abandoned, and the chamber was barren of life.

His foot caught on something and he lurched forward. His arms slammed into the ground and his mask met rock with a dull /crack/. He tried to lift himself, but he lacked the strength. He collapsed, cursing his body's weakness.  
Hoarse laughter assaulted his ears. He mustered the strength to turn toward the source, craning his neck, and discovered what had caused him to fall. The saboteur kept laughing, or tried to, but her lungs troubled her as well. Coughing fits racked her body, and flecks of blood spattered his white mask.

Mar Lan was sprawled out beside him, catching her breath. She met the cold, black stare of his mask with a spitefully jovial gaze.

"I hit a wall," she said with a smile. "Broke some ribs, I think. You're looking as healthy as ever."

He met her taunt with a sharp intake of toxic air. He didn't have the strength to suppress the sign of irritation, and the fact that she knew it annoyed him further. He expected her to go for another personal attack, insulting his intelligence or his loyalty to his master, the man she had betrayed.

"We're going to die here," she said plainly, hacking again. "They're all going to die here, and there's nothing you can do about it." And she laughed.

He was not angered by her words. He'd been stripped of the capacity for such emotion long ago. He was displeased, though, and he found some meager imitation of pleasure in the idea of killing her. With the last of his strength he crawled toward the laughing saboteur and wrapped his fingers around her neck. She smiled even as he crushed her throat.

His muscles went limp and he collapsed beside her once more. He lay there, wheezing through his useless respirator until his useless vision faded away.

It was dark.

**Special thanks to Tyrogue for the review!**


End file.
